Maple Leafs sign Dakota Mermis, Travis Boyd and Benoit-Olivier Groulx to contracts

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a few depth signings after free agency opened on Tuesday.

The team re-signed Dakota Mermis, along with signing forwards Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Travis Boyd.

Mermis re-signs with the Leafs, agreeing to a two-year contract. The deal carries an AAV of $812,500 through the 2026-27 season.

Mermis is simply hoping he can stay in one spot for the entire year. After signing with Toronto last offseason, he was placed on waivers in mid-December and was claimed by the Utah Hockey Club. However, just a few weeks later, he was back on the waiver wire, with the Leafs re-claiming him. He played three games late in the regular season for the Leafs, playing a total of four NHL games last season. The Alton, Illinois native spent most of the year with the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate, posting seven assists in 32 games.

In 78 career NHL appearances, Mermis has scored four goals and nine assists for 13 points.

Groulx comes into the fold on a two-year deal as well, getting paid $812,500 through 2027. He spent last season with the New York Rangers organization on a one-year deal, with a cap hit of $775,000.

The 25-year-old played the entire season with the Rangers’ primary affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points. Groulx played several games for the Anaheim Ducks across three seasons. In 65 NHL contests, he has scored a goal and four assists for five points.

Boyd is the only one of the trio to sign a one-year contract, which will have a cap hit of $775,000 for the 2025-26 campaign, the team AAV he had last year while a member of the Minnesota Wild. He played just three games for the Wild, playing primarily for the team’s AHL farm club, the Iowa Wild. In the ‘A,’ Boyd scored a career-high 22 goals in 63 games.

In 299 NHL games, Boyd has scored 47 goals and 71 assists for 118 points. In 284 AHL appearances, he’s notched 79 goals and 146 assists for 225 points, including 17 points in 33 Calder Cup Playoff games.