The Toronto Maple Leafs blueline continues to be a hot topic but in order to get a deal done but which teams should the team be looking at?
Any improvements that the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to make to their defence were only going to come via internal options or the trade market.
Free agency continues to be slim pickings with Calvin de Haan being the only player rumoured to be on the team’s radar. He decided to take a four-year $18.2 million contract which was probably more than what the Leafs were going to offer.
So where does that leave Toronto when it comes to exploring other avenues for improvement? This is how the team’s defence will look like if the team doesn’t make any more moves this offseason.
Screenshot courtesy of
dailyfaceoff.
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Obviously, that does not include any of the defencemen that will be playing for a spot on the Leafs roster or will likely be with the Toronto Marlies next seasons like; Igor Ozhiganov, Justin Holl, Martin Marincin, Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen and Jordan Subban.
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reported that the Leafs expect Ozhiganov to compete for a spot on the depth chart right away but whether that’s in a top-four spot remains to be seen.
Having Ron Hainsey play as many minutes as he did last season would not be ideal considering how much he was used on the penalty kill. If the team can find someone to take his spot in the top four and pushing the 31-year-old down to the third pairing.
This is where the Leafs could look at making a trade but they would have to find a team looking to move out a blueline which will prove to be tough.
Here are four teams that the Leafs could consider reaching out too.
Minnesota Wild
With a new general manager, the Wild come into this season with new expectations after losing out in the first round to the Winnipeg Jets.
Minnesota has always been a strong defensive team but if Ryan Suter isn’t the same player after his fractured ankle, the Wild could be without its workhorse on the blueline.
The team has many options to consider on the blueline with Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba and Greg Pateryn to help fill the void. The real question is whether they have done enough upfront to be competitive for next season.
If the Leafs could gauge the price for Spurgeon, Brodin or Dumba they could give the Leafs some stability in their top four but it’ll also come at a high cost.
What could benefit the Leafs is the fact that Minnesota will need to move salary in order to re-sign some key players. Maybe giving Jake Gardiner in a deal for one of the above defenceman would be a good start and it gives the Wild some cap flexibility beyond this upcoming season.
Anaheim Ducks
The Leafs and Ducks have been trade partners on numerous occasions and they could do so once again. Anaheim has an ageing roster and will look to usher in their young prospects to eventually take over but most of them are probably not ready yet.
One thing is for certain, Anaheim has strong depth on the blueline led by Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm. They recently signed Andrej Sustr and Luke Schenn to one-year deals so the team has a lot of options to consider.
Their top players on the right side without a doubt are Josh Manson and Brandon Montour and if wither would be available, the Leafs should jump on the chance to acquire them.
Manson (26-years-old) was a sixth-round pick in 2011 and plays a shutdown role with the Ducks and excels at it because of his physicality. Last season was not his best when it comes to advanced stats with a 49.9 CF% and a 50.5 FF% but is typically a strong possession player and was heavily used in the defensive zone by Randy Carlyle.
He would be a player that Carlyle would lobby to keep around at all costs so he is probably untradeable.
Montour is a younger player that just played his first full season in the NHL and is seen as more of an offensive player but just scratching the surface when it comes to his ability.
There is no way the Ducks would want Jake Gardiner in a trade with the Leafs mainly because they don’t need him. They could try to gauge the market for a player like Montour who filed for arbitration but that doesn’t mean that he’s available.
It would be tough to see Bob Murray wanting to move another young blueliner off his team after losing Shea Theodore to Vegas and having to trade Sami Vatanen to New Jersey.
However, the Ducks do need to add some youth to their team which is where the Leafs could provide some options considering they have more NHL ready players that could interest Anaheim.
Carolina Hurricanes
Many are expecting Justin Faulk to be moved at some point this offseason and his market could open up once Erik Karlsson‘s situation is sorted out.
The Leafs are one team that was a potential landing spot for Faulk which we talked about back in May and could be the most realistic trade target for the Leafs because he’s expected to be on the move.
After trading for Dougie Hamilton gives them that bonafide top pairing with Jaccob Slavin. Newly acquired Calvin de Haan will likely be paired with Brett Pesce which leaves Faulk and Trevor van Riemsdyk for the final spot on the right side.
While Faulk is known as an offensive defenceman, the Leafs right side was a clear weakness that the Boston Bruins took advantage of. It wouldn’t be the worse thing to have a player who can provide some stability to the right side.
Whether he’s the right fit is tough to say considering the Hurricanes goaltending hasn’t been top notch the past few seasons. Travis Yost of TSN looked at whether Faulk was a victim of terrible goaltending or if his struggles defensively are legitimate and really it is tough to say.
So the question for the Leafs is whether they would pay the price for Faulk or try their luck somewhere else but expect the 26-year-old in a different spot next season.
Winnipeg Jets
A recent article written by Josh Wegman of the Score suggested that trading Gardiner for Tyler Myers would be something that both teams should consider.
Salary wise, the deal would work for both teams and as Wegman points out, the Jets drastically need to address the left side of their defence. That’s not usually common among NHL teams but in the Jets case, it could be their biggest asset.
Getting Myers would help the Leafs right side of course but is he the player that they would try to acquire? Jacob Trouba would be the more desirable option but the more expensive one considering his age and potential to be a top pairing defenceman.
Maybe a package involving Gardiner could entice the Jets to get a conversation started but Winnipeg hasn’t had any reason to move Trouba since his request to be traded. If Myers leaves in the offseason, that opens up some cap space for Winnipeg and a spot for Trouba to get more playing time.
That’s probably why Myers is the player rumoured to be available but he’s had injury concerns throughout his career which is something the Leafs will keep in mind.
The 28-year-old played his first full season since his rookie season but he’s coming off an injury during the playoffs. The Leafs could do worse than Myers in a trade but a one-for-one swap wouldn’t be enough for Gardiner.
So unless the Jets add more to the deal, the Leafs should be cautious moving Gardiner for Myers unless they try to swing for Trouba.
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What would your ideal trade be to improve the Leafs defence? Is there a particular team the Leafs should be looking to make a deal with? Let us know in the comments below.