The Maple Leafs have re-signed RFA forward Alex Steeves to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced.
Steeves will count $775K against the cap if he’s on the NHL roster during the 2024-25 season. PuckPedia reports he’ll make a $300K salary in the AHL with a $350K guarantee.
Toronto signed Steeves, now 24, as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in March 2021. Since then, the Bedford, New Hampshire native has become a fixture in the top six of their AHL club, the Toronto Marlies.
With the Marlies, Steeves has 69 goals, 85 assists, 154 points, and a -11 rating in 188 games over the past three seasons. His point-per-game rates have varied minimally, peaking at 0.88 last season and bottoming out at 0.78 in 2022-23. Amid a career-high 27 goals and 57 points last year, Steeves represented the North Division at the AHL All-Star Game.
However, NHL appearances have been hard to come by for the versatile forward. Steeves, who can play center and both wings, has just one point and a -4 rating in seven career appearances over his three professional seasons. He’s averaged just 8:14 per game.
While Steeves is an acceptable plug-and-play bottom-six option if needed, the Leafs’ salary cap crunch likely means he won’t have a spot on their opening-night roster. He’ll need to clear waivers to head back to the Marlies. He’ll remain high on their list of call-up options in case of injuries, although likely only on a short-term basis. Players can stay on an NHL roster for up to 30 days or play up to 10 games after clearing waivers before needing to pass through them again to return to the minors.
As PuckPedia points out, Steeves is on track to meet the requirements to hit the open market early next summer via Group VI unrestricted free agency. The Maple Leafs would need to utilize Steeves in at least 73 games this season to maintain control over his rights as an RFA next summer, an improbable scenario.
With Steeves signing, winger Nicholas Robertson is Toronto’s lone remaining unsigned RFA. He still has an active trade request dating back to June.