The Toronto Maple Leafs defense isn’t as bad as you probably think.
Sure, it’s not rock-solid, but the Toronto Maple Leafs defense is also not total crap.
The biggest problem is not Jake Gardiner. Quite contrary to what people quick to blame one of the Leafs best players think, Gardiner is part of the solution.
The Leafs have Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott. This represents one of the strongest – if not the best – group of left-side defenseman in the NHL.
Right Side
The team is set on the left side. Two fifty point players, one (Rielly) which would have been a perfectly acceptable Norris Trophy Candidate, and a potential superstar in Dermott who is coming off a great rookie year.
On the right side, the Leafs have Timothy Liljegren and that’s it. Liljegren is likely going to be in the NHL next season, so that means the Leafs need two more right-shooting defenseman.
Ron Hainsey can’t be back. He’s a good penalty killer, but rostering someone because they’re good at the PK makes no more sense than rostering someone just because they’re good at faceoffs. Hainsey is too slow and he drags down whoever he plays with at 5v5, so he must go.
Roman Polak isn’t even worth discussing. He too needs to retire.
I like Connor Carrick, but if he was going to get a chance, he already would have.
No Need to Get Crazy
Everyone immediately jumps to trading Nylander for the needed defenseman. This is stupid. All you need to do is look at the history of teams trading elite level forwards in their early twenties to realize that this is a terrible idea.
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But, furthermore, you don’t even need to trade for an elite player. The Leafs just need someone who is effective 5v5 and who can contribute positively to puck possession.
An example of what they’re looking for is Jason Demers. He is underrated, doesn’t score a ton and doesn’t really get much credit. But he consistently puts up good numbers, and even though he is a popular player among the analytically inclined, the Coyotes were able to pick him up for a fourth line forward. The Leafs don’t specifically need Demers, he is just an example of the kind of player they should look to acquire.
There are lots of situations where teams improperly value players and it’s important to seek those out in order to improve the team. Trading a superstar player like Nylander for another big name just doesn’t make any sense.
Maybe if the Leafs were totally bereft of defenseman. But a team with Rielly, Dermott, Liljegren and Gardiner doesn’t need to make the blockbuster move.
In this case, they should be looking at b-level additions and leave the big game hunting to other teams. The Leafs need defensemen, they just don’t need to be in the market for a top line, currently elite one.
They certainly don’t need to trade Nylander. Anyone who suggests they should isn’t someone you should listen to, about anything. It is literally the worst opinion a person can hold about the Leafs.