After signing KHL star defenseman Mikko Lehtonen this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs depth chart is getting crowded.
In a salary cap world, overhauling the roster is commonplace for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the 2020-21 season will be no different.
The Leafs blue-line on opening night this year saw just one player who was on the roster the previous opening night.
This week the Leafs added yet another blue liner in Mikko Lehtonen, so it seems like a good time to check the depth chart.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blue-Line Depth
Even looking back at the 2018-19 season to now, only three defenseman are still with the Leafs.
2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs Defense
- Morgan Rielly
- Ron Hainsey
- Nikita Zaitsev
- Travis Dermott
- Jake Muzzin
- Jake Gardiner
2019-20 Toronto Maple Leafs Defense
- Morgan Rielly
- Jake Muzzin
- Tyson Barrie
- Justin Holl
- Cody Ceci
- Travis Dermott
Rasmus Sandin, Calle Rosen and Martin Marincin are three players who could slide into one of those top-six spots but if the playoffs started today and everyone was healthy, those six would most likely start.
After looking at both rosters, it’s really hard to say if the team upgraded that much year-over-year, but at least Hainsey and Zaitsev are not getting top four minutes any longer, so it’s hard to complain.
Another year of Muzzin has been beneficial because he’s shown that he’s a true leader and one of Toronto’s best defenseman, but injuries have prevented him from making an impact all season.
With the NHL season potentially over, we unfortunately weren’t able to see a full season sample size of the current defense, but the team will have most of their core back, so they should improve tremendously next year.
2020-21 Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Defense
- Morgan Rielly – $5,000,000
- Jake Muzzin – $5,625,000
- Travis Dermott – Current RFA (Contract TBD)
- Justin Holl – $2,000,000
- Mikko Lehtonen – $925,000
- Rasmus Sandin – $894,167
Assuming Dermott signs for around $3 million per season, the defensive core will cost just under $18 million which is tremendous.
Rielly is a steal at $5 million for another two years, as he’s shown he can be one of the most gifted defenseman in the NHL. Rielly finished fifth in Norris Trophy votes in the 2018-19 season and when he’s fully healthy there’s no doubt he’ll be able to replicate that again.
Muzzin is another player who’s arguably underpaid based off the impact he has on games. The two-time Stanley Cup champion will also provide invaluable insight during those long playoff runs and is becoming a vocal leader on and off the ice.
As you continue to go through the line-up, it’s unsure what Dermott will make, but as an RFA who’s only played 157 games in the NHL, his sample size won’t allow him a large contract so he’ll most likely be over performing his contract again.
On the open market, a team may have paid Justin Holl more, but Kyle Dubas’ loyalty and development of him through the Marlies system helped him sign a three-year extension at only $2 million per year.
The last two defensive spots should now have two players on entry level deals and there’s no doubt they’ll exceed those contracts. Although Sandin showed some rookie-rust with a few defensive breakdowns, he proved to be a serviceable NHL defenseman and on the open market is worth far more than what he’s making.
Lehtonen, the newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs is another defenseman who should perform better than his contract. An individual making essentially league minimum typically provides almost nothing to the line-up but Lehtonen should be different.
His offensive upside is something that scouts have fallen in love with, and even if he doesn’t put up anywhere close to the numbers he did in the KHL, he’ll be a serviceable NHL defenseman, which is an upgrade from some of the current players at the bottom of the Leafs defensive roster.
The depth addition of Lehtonen has made the Toronto Maple Leafs blue line much better than it is today, and depending on what trick Dubas has under his sleeve next, the roster could be even better tomorrow.