The Toronto Maple Leafs’ quest to sign elite free agents this July has faced several setbacks, with many top players declining their offers. The latest to do so is 30-year-old defenseman Brandon Montour, who recently won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers and then chose to sign with the Seattle Kraken in free agency.
Montour discussed his decision on TSN’s OverDrive on July 18, confirming that he and his agent had conversations with the Leafs but ultimately decided against joining the team. “There were conversations [with the Maple Leafs],” Montour said. “When I looked at the roster and myself, I thought I could definitely help and it was intriguing. But there’s a lot that goes into [free agency] with my family and what they need as well as business decisions.”
Montour opted for a seven-year, $49.98 million contract with the Kraken on the first day of free agency, July 1. Despite being a native of Brantford, Ontario, Montour was drawn to Seattle by the prospect of winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, similar to his experience with the Panthers.
“Looking back, the big thing that was really cool with winning in Florida was that it was their very first championship and experiencing that together,” Montour explained. “Thinking about Seattle and to have the chance to do that there excites me.”
Montour’s breakout season with the Panthers, culminating in their Stanley Cup victory, made him a hot commodity in free agency. During the 2023-24 season, he scored 8 goals and provided 25 assists, totaling 33 points in 66 regular-season games. In the postseason, Montour added 3 goals and 8 assists, contributing 11 points to the Panthers’ championship run.
Despite the Kraken missing the playoffs in 2024, Montour saw potential in the young team. Seattle, which joined the NHL in the 2021-22 season, made its first playoff appearance in 2023, advancing to the second round before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars in seven games.
Montour, drafted by the Anaheim Ducks with the 55th overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft, has played for the Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, and Panthers, amassing 252 points in 510 regular-season games.
Johnston noted that Montour had other attractive options, including potentially signing a short-term deal with the Leafs. “He’s going there [Seattle] clearly to win. I mean, he could have signed for one year and $3 million in about ten spots,” Johnston said on the July 2 episode of The Chris Johnston Show. “I know the Leafs were among the teams that had talked to him and were trying to pitch him in the idea, ‘Hey, you can play alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on our team!’”
The Leafs also targeted defenseman Matt Roy, who chose a four-year, $14 million deal with the Washington Capitals over Toronto. Chris Johnston discussed this on the Steve Dangle Podcast on July 8, saying, “I think Matt Roy was a little bit of the one that got away. They were interested in Brady Skjei but that was pretty clear early on that, that wasn’t going to be it. They called on Pesce, but I didn’t get a sense that was ever (close). Roy was a big target.”
Additionally, the Leafs aimed to sign forward Jeff Skinner after the Sabres bought out his contract, but Skinner signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers instead. Johnston explained that Toronto’s lack of recent success has made it a less appealing destination for top free agents.
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