Toronto Maple Leafs: Defensive upgrades needed

The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to progress past the first round of the playoffs again this season, and a large part of this was down to their defensive play.

The playoffs are only a small sample size to judge the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueline on, but the story has been the same all season.

Goaltender Frederik Andersen has arguably been the team’s best player this season, keeping them in games that have seen the Leafs regularly outshot.

Andersen faced the most shots in the entire NHL this season, with opponents allowed 2,211 goalscoring chances throughout the campaign.

Tampa Bay’s number one Andrei Vasilevskiy faced 136 shots less than Andersen, thanks largely to a far stronger core of players in front of him.

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The Leafs have talent, no doubt, with people such as Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner still top players, while the likes of Travis Dermott look to have promising careers ahead.

But more needs to be done in front of their own net and next season the team must aim to progress past the first round.

The bottom pairing has been fairly inconsistent throughout the season, with many different sets of defensive partners filling the role.

Roman Polak became the only real constant, with questions raised about the likes of Connor Carrick, who struggled to retain his place in the line-up.

Young star Timothy Liljegren is progressing very well in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies and should be given the chance to impress in summer camps and even start the season in the big league.

Liljegren can play nine games in the NHL without counting against his Entry-Level Contract, allowing the Leafs an opportunity to assess his development.

If he impresses, as he has done all season in the minors, then he should solidify his position on the team’s third-pairing.

Another option could be to aim for a top defensive prospect in this season’s draft, with Evan Bouchard a player that should be firmly on the Leafs’ radar.

Bouchard has been ranked anywhere from the second to sixth-best defenceman in the draft, meaning he could be selected highly or even potentially fall to the middle of the first round (where the Leafs will be picking).

A young defenceman will take time to develop, but taking a player of Bouchard’s calibre could go a long way towards addressing the team’s long-term need at the position.

A trade for a top D-man will be costly and likely avoided by the Leafs, but free agency could provide Mike Babcock will plenty of experienced options to target.

Right-hander Mike Green could be an ideal stop-gap addition to boost the team’s bottom end.

At 32, he boasts plenty of NHL experience but will also not likely be a long-term signing, with the development of Liljegren the top priority.

Green will likely be costly, but with the team losing a number of expensive free agents this summer, they should be able to afford him.

There are many ways the Leafs could address their defensive woes, but they have a strong core to build upon.

No matter how it is addressed, it is time for Babcock to seriously make steps at improving the blueline.

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What do you think Toronto Maple Leafs fans? How should the team go about improving their defensive core? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.