Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Free Agent D Targets
The Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing to enter the most critical offseason of the Shannahan-Era.
As we all witnessed in their first-round defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins, this team has more than a few weaknesses. Perhaps the most glaring of the bunch is on the blueline. The continued inability of the Leafs to trot out a consistently effective blueline has hamstrung the franchise for years.
Now, with a new crop of D-men set to hit the open market, the opportunity to solidify their biggest roster hole presents itself. Will they swing for the fences to land the big fish? Or will they take a chance on an undervalued asset?
Well, the EIL staff strove to answer that question. In roundtable format, no less. This week’s question:
Which Free Agent Defenceman Should the Leafs Target?
Read on to find out.
Kyle Cushman
Simply put, there isn’t much out there on the open market. Other than top dog John Carlson, the unrestricted free agent defencemen crop is bare bones.
Despite the lack of high-end talent available, there are still some nice depth options for the Maple Leafs. Well, if they decide to round out their blueline in free agency.
He may be a lefty, but Tobias Enstrom would serve as a very nice depth piece to add to this Leafs defence and would likely come at a cheap price.
In recent years, Enstrom has been plagued with injuries, failing to log a full season since 2012-13. 2017-18 saw him limited to just 43 games, the lowest of his career. Via Matt Cane, Enstrom is projected to sign a one-year, $1.5 million contract this summer. For the production he put up in 2017-18 (just six points), even in limited games, that is a worthwhile bet.
The 33-year old Swede posted a 52.26 CF% and a 57.14 GF% at even strength in the regular season, almost exclusively paired with Dustin Byfuglien. Additionally, the Jets had 60.8% of the high danger chances when Enstrom was on the ice.
It’s quite evident that Enstrom is still an effective NHL defenceman. In fact, he would look very nice on the third pairing behind Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. Based on how dramatically Ron Hainsey’s play fell off due to the minutes he received and Enstrom’s recent injury woes, a platoon system between the two veteran blueliners could be very beneficial.
To both the Maple Leafs and the players themselves.
Carson Trask
It is no secret that the Leafs are in desperate need of a right shot defenceman.
As of now, the only returning right shot blueliner the Leafs possess is Nikita Zaitsev, who struggled immensely last season. Bringing back Roman Polak makes zero sense, so this is a top priority for new GM Kyle Dubas.
The problem is every team seems to be looking for a right shot D. Timothy Lijegren has had a strong rookie season in the AHL, but may not be ready for the NHL next season, and this year’s free agent class isn’t anything to write home about.
John Carlson just screams future buyout candidate with the contract he’s set to receive. And, Mike Green comes with just too much injury risk.
Which brings us to Calvin de Haan.
Yes I know he shoots left. But, he has proven over time to be a steady defender who averages around 20 minutes a night. The Leafs need steady right now. As well, de Haan can alleviate those gruelling minutes Ron Hainsey was forced to play so much of last year.
De Haan isn’t going to put up huge offensive numbers. But, that isn’t what the Leafs need from the backend. Rielly, Gardiner and Dermott can chip in offensively. The Leafs need a reliable defender who Mike Babcock can trust late in games. De Haan could be that player.
Free agency is always going to be a “buyer beware” scenario, and with de Haan coming off an injury, the Leafs could potentially get him at a bargain price. It’s hard to say how much Dubas likes the young Marlies defence. As well, it’s unclear whether he will give any of them a legitimate look to make the team next season.
If not, de Haan, who is just entering his prime, could be a nice fit in the blue and white.
Christopher Vassos
I want Jacob Trouba.
Think of it. He had issues with his current team and inevitably signed what was a ‘bad’ contract for two years at 3 million each. A week ago, he lost in the Western Conference Finals to an expansion team. His team is also going to have to sign a few other rising stars, along with their red-hot goalie.
Trouba is the ideal candidate for the Leafs to offer-sheet this season.
Trouba averaged over 21 minutes a night for the Jets this past season, yet only put up 24 points. For those who care, he was a +9. But, we all know that is a somewhat useless stat.
However, if there is one bright spot in his otherwise lacklustre career so far, it’s his shooting percentage. Think of Trouba as a younger Ron Hainsey. Hainsey averaged 21:52 ice time to Toruba’s 21:54. 4 goals to Trouba’s 3. And, 19 assists to Trouba’s 21.
Trouba would not only be able to alleviate some of Hainsey’s 5v5 ice time, which will keep him fresh for the PK but also fill a spot on the right side.
One that would otherwise be taken by Roman Polak.
Risk/Reward
Yes, it is risky.
Not to mention it could possibly open us up to getting offer sheeted ourselves. But, it could pay off in the long run. If Dubas signs Matthews, Nylander and Marner long term, it would be ideal to get a player through an offer sheet.
While I assume Dubas will go over all possible situations and outcomes, this seems like an ideal one. Primarily because, even if we lose a player to a Winnipeg offer sheet, they still have a few young players who will be ripe for the picking.
The Leafs currently have all the necessary picks to pay for an offer sheet.
Based on Corsica’s Player Ratings, Trouba is similar to Colton Parayko and Tyson Barrie who are both making $5.5 Million AAV for the next couple of years. This is where it gets interesting.
If the Leafs offer anything less than $6.08M, it is only a 1st and a 3rd round pick. A number which is roughly equivalent to what the Jets gave up for three months of Paul Statsny.
The Maple Leafs could have 1-7 years of Trouba for that. However, if we offer more than that (up to $8.1) we would need to add an additional 2nd round pick to the 1st and 3rd.
Trouba could be an ideal candidate to push the Maple Leafs defenders on the right side down a role and lessen the pressure on some of the players who are in roles that are too difficult for them.
Josh Tessler
I’ll get to the point rather quickly. I wouldn’t target any defenseman on the market.
This might be the worst class of defensive free agents that I’ve seen in a long time. As much as I’d love for John Carlson or Mike Green to end up in Toronto, they don’t fit our need. The Leafs need a right-handed defenseman, particularly one who is a puck mover. We don’t need another power-play specialist.
It was evident this past season that the Maple Leafs couldn’t get the puck out of their own zone. If you put Carlson or Green on the ice and expect them to become puck movers overnight, you won’t be happy.
If I were Kyle Dubas, I’d instead take a look at the trade market or wait until next off-season.
Next off-season, there will a multitude of stellar defensemen to choose from. Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty and Tyler Myers will all be free agents. I’d rather add one of them via free agency than spend this off-season.
In addition, yes, I did mention that I wouldn’t want to acquire Karlsson by trade. But, if the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him, that would be completely different.
You wouldn’t have to give up a ton of assets to bring him to Toronto.
Nicholas Lucciantonio
The most important thing the Leafs need right now is a great defenceman to help out Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. John Carlson is that guy.
Carlson scores and logs big minutes, playing an average of almost 25 minutes per game. He led all defencemen in scoring this past season with a whopping 68 points. Not to mention, he came one point shy of being a point-per-game player in this year’s playoffs. 11 points in 12 playoff games aren’t too shabby for the 28-year-old.
Still having many great seasons left in the tank, he won’t be cheap.
With James Van Riemsdyk at an AAV of $4,250,000, Tyler Bozak at an AAV of $4,200,000, and Leo Komarov at an AAV of 2,950,000 most likely leaving in free agency, we can afford Carlson. He will most likely get around 7-8 million. And, with those three out, we have almost 11.5 million to spend.
Although, the Leafs do have to look to next season. As well as when the team will have to sign their big three young stars. The trio will be costly. But, the team’s only need is defence improvements.
The Leafs don’t need much help on the offensive end, what with our young stars getting better each year. Our goalie situation is great with Frederik Andersen, who has been fantastic in the two seasons since we traded for him.
The Leafs’ back-end needs a lot of improvement and Carlson can provide exactly that.
James Tanner
This is probably a really boring answer, but I don’t think the Leafs should sign any of the available UFA defensemen.
John Carlson is going to cost too much. Mike Green is too old. Jack Johnson is garbage. Luke Schenn isn’t worth even a discount contract. And, frankly, neither is Roman Polak. Calvin De Haan is a serviceable guy. But, his best years have already probably happened and overpaying for him would be useless. Especially when the Leafs already have Connor Carrick, Nikita Zaitsev, Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman, Timothy Liljegren and Justin Holl.
Unless there’s a great value play, I can’t see allotting limited funds to any kind of name brand UFA. The Leafs should be looking internally or to trades to fix their D.
Really, there’s nothing worth talking about on the open market.
Next: Kyle Dubas and Hidden Talent
Thanks for reading!