4 Defenseman the Toronto Maple Leafs May Target in Trade
The Toronto Maple Leafs would enjoy an upgrade to their defense corps.
When the NHL announced their season has been paused back on March 12, many Toronto Maple Leaf fans were left wondering what it meant for the salary cap for the 2020 – 21 season and how it would affect their team.
With a little more clarity on the salary cap projection for next season, it is clear any upgrade Kyle Dubas wants to make to this blueline will have to come in the form of a dollar-in-dollar-out deal.
As such, Toronto (always assuming they even actually want to upgrade their blue-line) will most likely be looking for defensemen who are undervalued on their respective teams, have a low cap hit, and have above-average defensive instincts.
The Toronto Maple Leafs recently added KHL star defenseman Mikko Lehtonen, and still need to re-sign Travis Dermott. They also have Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin, and Timothy Liljegren.
Even without re-signing Cody Ceci or Tyson Barrie, the Leafs have seven solid candidates for next year’s blue-lines in the house already. So there is a good chance they do not pursue another defenseman.
On the other hand, teams are always looking to upgrade, and the Leafs may not be comfortable with the current makeup of their blue line.
The following four players do not receive enough credit for their work in the defensive end and could potentially be had for a relatively small package.
Rasmus Ristolainen
2019 – 20 Stats: 6 goals – 27 assists – 33 points – 69 games (All stats NHL.com).
Age at Start of 2020 – 21 Season: 26
Contract: $5,400,000 x 2 years
Why Toronto Would Be Interested:
The 25-year old Finnish defensemen would immediately become Toronto’s biggest defensemen.
Ristolainen, standing at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds, is a former first-round pick, and at such a young age, could still have a lot left to prove.
Analysts often rave about his big body and the fact he uses it to bully the opposition in front of the net and along the boards.
Any avid Leafs fan would notice how the opposing teams are able to bother Frederik Andersen in the crease without anyone standing up for him or their ability to cycle the puck around the boards without interruption to their flow. With Ristolainen’s massive frame, he would definitely be able to help in both those areas.
Also, the big Finn had the eighth-most defensive zone starts among all defensemen this season (stats; evolving-hockey.com), indicating Ralph Krueger, Sabres head coach, has a certain level of trust in Ristolainen’s ability to handle risky situations.
Lastly, this past season, Ristolainen led all defensemen in hits racking up over 200 of them. (stats; NHL.com).
Why He Might Be Available:
The Buffalo Sabres on loaded on the right side of their defense.
With Colin Miller, Ristolainen, and Henri Jokiharju occupying the top three right spots on their blueline, and Buffalo ranking 21st league-wide in goals-for plus the need for adequate wingers to play with their star Jack Eichel, it seems pretty apparent to acquire a top-six winger, they are going to have to subtract from their defense core.
Will the Leafs Pursue Him:
It’s nice in theory, but the fact is Ristolainen is overrated according to advanced stats and there is very little chance the Toronto Maple Leafs would be interested.
David Savard
2019 – 20 Stats: 0 goals – 11 assists – 11 points – 68 games
Age at Start of 2020 – 21 Season: 30
Contract: $4,250,000 x 1 year
Why Toronto Would Be Interested:
David Savard is the exact type of defensemen Toronto should be looking for – experienced, right shot, puck mover with good defensive abilities, plays with an edge, and is not afraid to get into the dirty areas or lay down to block a shot.
At 6-foot-2, 229-pounds, Savard’s frame is very reminiscent of the 6-foot-3, 217-pound Jake Muzzin Toronto currently employs on their second defense pairing.
Among defense pairs with at least 250 minutes played together this season, Savard’s pairing ranked 3rd in expected goals against per 60 minutes (stats; moneypuck.com).
Savard brings a lot more to the table than the prototypical defensive defencemen. He often displays his incredible skating ability and quick first pass, chipping in with 11 goals and 36 points in 2014 – 15, his best statistical season. (stats; hockey-reference.com).
Savard ranked second among all defensemen in blocked shots this past season (stats; NHL.com), and with him registering over 110 blocks every season since 2014 – 15 as well as over 120 hits since 2013 – 14 (stats; hockey-reference.com), Savard will drastically change the dynamic of this Toronto blueline.
Why He Might Be Available:
Since Artemi Panarin’s and Matt Duchene’s departure out of Columbus, the Blue Jackets have been searching for scoring upfront. Columbus ranked 27th league-wide in goals-for as well as powerplay percentage this season (stats; NHL.com).
What better team to come to for scoring help than the team who ranked second in the league in goals-for.
Plus, Toronto will be playing Savard and the Columbus Blue Jackets in the upcoming “play in” round, giving Kyle Dubas a firsthand look at the gritty defensemen.
Will the Leafs Pursue him?
Denis Savard looks like a prototypical Toronto Maple Leafs player under the Kyle Dubas regime, and if he is available, I would expect the Leafs to be extremely interested.
Jonas Brodin
2019 – 20 Stats: 2 goals – 26 assists – 28 points – 69 games
Age at Start of 2020 – 21 Season: 27
Contract: $4,166,667 x 1 year
Why Toronto Would Be Interested:
Long regarded as one of the most underrated defensive defenders in the league, Brodin brings a ton to the table with his skillset from the backend.
At 6-foot-1 and 194-pounds, Brodin is the smallest player on this list, but what he lacks in size he makes up for with his tremendous positioning, awareness, and alertness.
His best asset is his skating. With the ability to match speeds with superstar players like Nathan Mackinnon or Auston Matthews, Brodin is able to interrupt a lot of entries at the defensive blueline before the play even starts.
Among 198 qualified defensemen, Brodin ranks first in 5-on-5 zone entry denials (thepointhockey.com). His skillset denying opposing forwards any space in the offensive zone is shown in the video below.
Another hallmark of Brodin’s game is his defensive zone positioning and anticipation. Among 198 qualified defensemen, the talented lefty ranked second in defensive zone blocked passes (stats; thepointhockey.com).
Why He Might Be Available:
The Minnesota Wild may be ushering in a new era of their franchise.
In a deadline deal that fell through, new Wild GM Bill Guerin appeared to have traded Zach Parise to the New York Islanders in exchange for Andrew Ladd, signalling he could be willing to sell off his veterans who do not appear to be part of their future.
With Minnesota having the 7th oldest roster in the NHL (source; The Athletic), they could possibly look to get younger and faster this offseason, forcing a subtraction from their stacked blueline to do so.
Will the Leafs Pursue him?
With one year left on his $4.1 million dollar contract, Brodin might be available, and if he is, you can bet the Toronto Maple Leafs would have definite interest. Especially as they have shown a willingness to add more lefties than most the hockey world thinks they need.
Wild Card: Esa Lindell
2019 – 20 Stats: 3 goals – 20 assists – 23 points – 69 games
Age at Start of 2020 – 21 Season: 26
Contract: $5,800,000 x 5 years
I suggested Esa Lindell as a wild card option because, for one, I do not believe he is currently available out of Dallas.
He is young, locked up long term, can handle top-four minutes, and is skilled in the defensive zone. Lindell represents a significant component of the Dallas blueline.
But, with Dallas’ offensive struggles clear, and should the franchise not reach their postseason goals this season because of it, GM Jim Nill should prioritize adding scoring talent this offseason, and it may come at a cost of one of their star blueliners.
Miro Heiskanen is an immediate no-go as he is 20 years old is already one of the better defensemen in the league. Still, in his prime at age 27, John Klingberg is also not going anywhere as he has transformed himself into an offensive dynamo, ranking ninth in points by defensemen over the past four seasons. All of this leaves Lindell as the odd man out.
Why Toronto Would Be Interested:
Continuing the trend of big body defensemen, Lindell fits right in with the names above him. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, the defensive specialist would instantly become one of Toronto’s biggest defensemen.
Lindell’s calling card is his gap control and blue line efficiency. Similar to Brodin, Lindell is a league leader in zone entry denials, ranking in the 90th percentile in breakups/60 last season as well as 94th percentile in possession entry allowed percentage (stats; Corey Sznajder, @ShutdownLine).
Additionally, the Stars leaned on Lindell heavily in the defensive zone. In 2018 – 19, the talented Finn ranked first among defensemen in defensive zone face-offs and first in defensive zone starts, all leading to the Stars giving up the third least 5-on-5 goals and ranking second in 5-on-5 high danger goals against. (stats; evolving-hockey.com).
Lindell also excelled on the penalty kill. His 265 short-handed minutes were second in the league, guiding the Stars to the fifth-best penalty kill.
Will the Leafs Pursue him?
Maybe. The contract might be a little rich, but then again, it may also prove to be a fair and valuable deal.
Next. Breaking Down Toronto Maple Leafs Extended Roster Options. dark
It remains to be seen if Kyle Dubas wants to go for the bigger name defender and spend in the offseason or choose to trade for a diamond-in-the-rough type of defender. Either way, I expect a busy offseason from the sophomore general manager.