Toronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz is staying at home.
The 29-year-old forward was trekking the back nine of a golf course on Monday afternoon when he agreed to a three-year, $4.05 million contract with an annual average value of $1.35 million. Lorentz was creeping towards the open market, with less than 24 hours until free agency, though he knew he'd always remain in Toronto.
"There was no doubt in my mind that I'd be back in Toronto again. It definitely has been a process, and maybe it went a little bit longer than I'd hoped, but that's part of being unrestricted," Lorentz said Monday evening.
"In my heart, I knew I wanted to come back. I knew that I wanted to stay, I didn't want to go anywhere else, and I'm just so proud and happy to be able to get it done, and I'm already looking forward to next year."
Lorentz's story isn't different from many who grew up as Maple Leafs fans in the Greater Toronto Area, except for one aspect: he now plays for them. As a child, Lorentz watched Toronto push toward a Stanley Cup, hoping that they'd get across the finish line every year.
They won two rounds, in 1999 and 2002, but that's the closest they ever got.
Report: Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner To Vegas Golden Knights, Agrees To Eight-Year Deal Worth $12 Million AAVMitch Marner is on his way to Las Vegas.
After basking in being a Maple Leaf this past season, Lorentz will now have three more years to go into battle with Toronto in hopes of bringing the historic trophy back home.
"Honestly, that's what I wanted more than anything, was just the longevity. I would love to play my whole career here in Toronto. Last year was even better; it exceeded expectations," he said.
"Just being able to wear the Leaf with pride and being able to play at home, with friends and family, and trying to bring a cup to a city that's been longing for it for so long, and it deserves it...
"We still have that goal that we want to be the hardest-working team. We want to be the best team. We want to be the team that comes out on top in June. It was kind of a no-brainer, working out the contract details and stuff like that."
Report: Maple Leafs Lose Out On Brad Marchand Who Signing Six-Year Extension With PanthersBrad Marchand reportedly won't be hitting NHL free agency after all.
Bursting onto the scene with his puppy-like personality at training camp last September, Lorentz and the Maple Leafs agreed on a one-year, $775,000 contract after the preseason. He had just won a Stanley Cup a couple of months earlier with the Florida Panthers and wanted to return home so that he could do the same here.
"I've tried (to imagine winning the Stanley Cup in Toronto)," Lorentz said with a grin last September. "This is such a hockey city, and it's no secret it would just be mayhem if the Leafs were ever to do it."
Ultimately, after a 19-point season, which tied a career high, plus two assists in the playoffs, Toronto was ousted in the second round by the very same team that he won with the year prior. The year didn't finish how he and many others would've liked it to, but what it means to be a Maple Leaf isn't lost on Lorentz.
"I don't think I'll ever forget skating out for Game 1 of playoffs," he grinned.
"I remember looking at [Scott Laughton] on the bench, just a couple of local boys, and we're like, holy you know what, this is sick. I still remember the first 10 minutes and we came out flying. That's something I don't think I'll ever forget, so that's one that sticks out, but there was so many (memories).
"Little things on the ice, off the ice, in the community, at practice, it was a blur, but I don't think there was a bad day, minus the day we lost out. It was just so disappointing, but it was such a fun year, and like I said, it's such a great group there, and I wouldn't really want to go to war with anybody else."
Maple Leafs Trade for Matias Maccelli: Why Toronto Acquired Winger From Utah MammothThe Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2027, which will convert to a second-round draft pick in 2029 if Maccelli record at least 51 points in the 2025-26 NHL season.
Lorentz is already feet-first into his offseason work, skating with several players from the Kitchener-Waterloo area. There's one thing, though, left to tick off his summer bucket list: getting married to his fiancée, Erin.
And after that, it's back to Maple Leafs land—with a three-year extension in his hands—to begin the quest of bringing hockey's ultimate prize back to Toronto for the first time since 1967.
"My head's kind of still buzzing right now," he smiled.
"It's been a crazy couple of weeks in just trying to get this thing done, but more than anything, I'm just excited, and like I said, it's such a great group that, it didn't take a lot of decision-making. I knew my heart was here."
(Top photo of Lorentz: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)