Toronto Maple Leafs Will Get a Right Handed Defenseman

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From Anaheim…

Both Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello were in Nashville for Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals. While the Predators are stacked on the back-end, it’s more likely than not that they were scouting mainly Ducks.

Our own Andrew Boehmer pointed out that Sami Vatanen may be the guy, and he’s not far off.

Although he will miss some time to start the 2017-18 season due to shoulder surgery, the 26-year-old Vatanen is rumored to be a highly-sought out defenseman amongst many teams.

Due to an overwhelming amount of Ducks with no-movement clauses (NMC), it leaves GM Bob Murray with the difficult choice of risking players in the expansion draft, or receiving guaranteed value for the players that might be lost to the Golden Knights.

And Vatanen matches Toronto’s criteria.

He possesses solid possession numbers (emphasis on the offensive end), is young enough to continue to develop (emphasis on the defensive end) and has deep playoff experience that can add to a budding team.

While he is not the Leafs’ be all end all candidate, Vatanen could step in and be a solid fit on Toronto’s blue line.

From Colorado…

As of late, nothing has gone in Colorado’s favor. The worst team in the league couldn’t even win the NHL Draft Lottery.

Most of its stars have been rumored to be on the trading block, including 25-year-old Tyson Barrie. While his stats show that he has been unable to prove himself as a defensively worthy, he has been on a pretty terrible team during his entire five-year NHL career.

His offensive production is what sets him apart. Despite having little help around him, the young defenseman is among the league’s best in shot generation and was T-5th in the NHL for first assists among defenseman (21) in 2016-17.

His name might make the most sense for the Leafs to take in this scenario.

Joining a team in which Babcock is at the helm could be a perfect fit for Barrie and Toronto.

From Minnesota…

Under similar NMC circumstances as Anaheim, the Wild have a difficult choice to make going into the expansion draft regarding protecting its defenseman. The two names rumored to be moved are Brodin and Matt Dumba.

Of the two, Dumba (a right-handed shot) would hypothetically be the Toronto Maple Leafs guy.

At 22-years-old, Dumba might not be the most ideal candidate for Toronto, but he is valued at a price less than most No. 1 defenseman, as he is not completely established just yet.

His age is indicative that he is still a work in a progress, but due to the relatively watered-down price, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him end up in Toronto.

From Nashville…

The Stanley Cup runner-ups will have a tough decision to make come Expansion Draft time; protect their forwards or defenseman.

With a skilled core up front and arguably the best set of top four defensemen in the league, the Predators are going to have to lose someone in the offseason one way or another.

As Nashville is likely to protect seven forwards and three defensemen, that someone will be a defenseman. Roman Josi and P.K. Subban are virtual locks to be protected and left-handed Mattias Ekholm is rare, being a sizable defenseman with offensive capabilities.

Ryan Ellis, a right-handed shot who showcased his versatility throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, has the most value and potential to be traded of the four defensemen. Not to mention, his possession numbers are the most impressive, relative to the rest of this list.

Who knows, maybe Lamoriello and Babcock had their eyes on him, while at the Western Conference Finals.

From Winnipeg…

With a high cap hit and Jets defensemen, Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom, under NMCs, Tyler Myers could possibly go unprotected in the Expansion Draft.

The 6-foot-8, mobile defenseman is making $5.5 million through 2019. With over $12 million in projected cap space, this is not an area of concern for Toronto.

Unlikely? Relative to the rest of the players mentioned in this list, probably.

But ruling out a defenseman with size and offensive abilities is not something Maple Leafs management usually does, especially after a 2016 NHL draft in which all three defensemen drafted were 6-foot-4 or over.

Bottom Line

One way or another, the Toronto Maple Leafs will get what they need.

Whether it’s through free agency or trade, a No. 1 right-handed defenseman will be brought into Toronto sooner than later.

“You’d like to think that there is a tree in your backyard and you could just go in and pluck that right-handed defenseman who can play 25 minutes off and put him on your team,” Babcock said in an interview with TSN’s Darren Dreger. “…But it doesn’t work like that. There is a cost in everything. If you’re going to acquire something, what’s the cost?”

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