The NHL rumour mill desperately wants to link Matt Dumba to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have no interest in Matt Dumba, that I can almost guarantee.
Sure, he’s right handed.
But he’s also expensive, not living up to his contract, and plays the style of game the Leafs have in abundance.
The Leafs have Rielly, Barrie, Holl, Muzzin, Dermott and Sandin – all of them are puck moving defenseman with offensive skills.
Matt Dumba’s best skills are not in short supply on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But Jonas Brodin’s aren’t.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blue Line
Jonas Brodin is, along with Nik Hjalmarsson, one of the NHL’s best defensive defensemen.
Players like Ron Hainsey and Roman Polak get credit for good defense, but the problem is they don’t have any offense at all, and the overall contributions to their teams end up being negative.
Even if you are a good defensive player, you aren’t helping your team if they have to play more defense when you’re on the ice.
Brodin is not the most physically imposing player, but he moves the puck well and plays his position flawlessly. He provides the type of defense that people are always looking for, but he won’t hurt you by getting hemmed in his own end.
Brodin can move the puck, and is generally good for 20 points per years, but it’s his defensive abilities that will make him attractive to the Leafs.
Brodin, 26, is locked up to a team friendly deal with a $4 million dollar cap hit for the rest of this year, and next. (Exact same situation as Jake Muzzin).
If the Leafs are interested in icing a more balanced, defensively adept blue line, Jonas Brodin is the player they should target.
The only drawback here is that Brodin is a lefty, something the leafs have in abundance (Rielly, Muzzin, Dermott, Sandin).
That may disqualify him, but then again, it may not. The Leafs needed a righty last year, they added Muzzin. In the summer, they did eventually get the right handed Tyson Barrie, but they first tried to trade for the left handed T.J Brodie.
They also tried to bring back the left handed Jake Gardiner.
So there is strong evidence that the Leafs aren’t too concerned with handedness. If that is the case, then there is no reason whatsoever to avoid Jonas Brodin.
Could Brodin be had for some sort of package centred around Kasperi Kapanen? If so the Toronto Maple Leafs should be all over it.