How the Toronto Maple Leafs Can Upgrade the Blueline

The Toronto Maple Leafs have to survey their team and the league and determine whether they should pull a trigger on a blueline altering trade.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should be a feared team in the NHL, but they cannot be pleased with their current position in the standings.

The Leafs are currently fighting just to gain entry into the playoffs. As such, they are liable to make a move to strengthen their roster.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are evaluating their roster and determining what areas need the most support and attention.

Though they shouldn’t panic as yet, the Leafs are likely to recognize that their blueline could use an upgrade. Kyle Dubas should consider reaching out to the Anaheim Ducks in an attempt to acquire Josh Manson.

Toronto Maple Leafs Blue Line

There is a lot to like in the 6’3″ American’s game.

Manson is a mobile defenseman with an ability to accelerate as needed. He can keep up with fleet-footed forwards and beat his opponents to loose pucks. In today’s NHL speed is one of the more important skills a player can possess, giving Manson added value to his team.

Manson’s stick work is as impressive as his skating. He always maintains an active stick. This helps him break up plays, tip passes, and force opponents to make poor decisions with the puck. Without over-committing, there is always a chance to see Manson engage a poke check to cause a turnover.

Manson is also a physical player. He isn’t afraid to tangle with others in the corners and often finds himself in the middle of scrums. With his strong build, he appears to be fearless when he plays the game.

While there is a lot to like about his defensive ability, the 28-year-old does have significant flaws in his game as well.

Manson is not going to help generate a great deal of offense for his team. He isn’t an above-average stick handler in the NHL and he won’t impress many with either his passing or shooting. This makes him more one-dimensional, but it might be exactly what the Leafs need.

While their goaltenders have been struggling, it would be useful for the Leafs to limit their opponents’ number of quality scoring chances. Adding a stronger defender to the club, who also happens to have right-handed shot, could do just that.

According to CapFriendly, Manson currently has a $4.1 million cap hit on a contract that runs for another two seasons after this one. He then becomes an unrestricted free agent at age 31 ahead of the 2022-23 season. It’s a fair number for a player who is currently on the Ducks’ second pairing and a regular on the penalty kill.

Manson is perhaps most intriguing to the Maple Leafs because the cost to acquire him should not be exorbitant.

He is a serviceable player, but not elite at any of his skill sets. Should Toronto make an offer they may only have to part ways with one of their young forwards or a quality prospect. This transaction would also require the Leafs to include Cody Ceci in order to fit Manson in under the cap.

Graph courtesy of

mapleleafshotstove.com.  

Losing Ceci would mean that the Leafs would need to rethink their lines. Ceci currently logs heavier minutes than Manson despite the Ducks player having better possession numbers.

With Rielly out for an extended period due to injury, this could even potentially set up Manson to play with Jake Muzzin, Travis Dermott, or Rasmus Sandin. On paper, he’d be a good fit with any one of the three.

When even strength, Manson has a CF/60 of 49.8 and CA/60 of 48.4. Ceci this year owns a 45.3 CF/60 and a 45.9 CA/60. With Manson also having a better Corsi rating, the metrics all point to him being the more valuable player.

The question then becomes, what might Anaheim want in order to complete a transaction? The Leafs would ideally not give up anyone from their current roster and would rather just send someone like Jeremy Bracco (heavily rumoured to be on the block) who has been unable to crack the NHL roster.

Bracco alone wouldn’t be tempting enough for the Ducks to make the swap, which means that Toronto would likely need to include picks or a player they might otherwise have preferred to keep long term.

Depending on what the return would be, it could be worthwhile to pull the trigger on a trade to bring in Manson.

With the February 24 trade deadline creeping up the Leafs need to be sure that they emerge past it with a roster they feel can contend for a cup. Perhaps it will in include Manson.