Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet 590 late last week and was talking about Toronto Maple Leafs RFA forward Connor Brown and offer sheets.
“I look at a guy like Connor Brown, and it doesn’t take four first-rounders to do it. He is a guy who has gained a lot of respect in the league because of how hard he worked to get here. There were a lot of people who never believed he would be a 20-goal scorer in the NHL, and now he is.
He works hard and he’s a talented guy, and the Leafs are in a real tight cap crunch. That is the way I think you’re going to see this used, if it does get used, is to really sit there and say, “How can we make life uncomfortable on another team that is our rival?” And the Leafs are going to have some cap issues in a few years.
I’m not surprised that it hasn’t happened because it never seems to, but I look at a guy like Connor Brown and think that we’re getting closer to the day where we are going to see these offer sheets weaponized a little bit. Toronto is going to be tight.”