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Who Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Pursue in Free Agency: Roundtable

ByWilbert Timmermans|
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 3: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs steps onto the ice before the first period of the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens at the Scotiabank Arena on October 3, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 3: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs steps onto the ice before the first period of the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens at the Scotiabank Arena on October 3, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
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OTTAWA, ON – FEBRUARY 15: Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

My Take

To me, this is an easy question to answer; Tyson Barrie.

Barrie has been on an audition with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past season, while the start wasn’t promising, the last months before the league was postponed he played to his true potential.

Resigning Barrie would directly fill two needs the Toronto Maple Leafs have and have had for a long time – a top-pairing right-handed defenseman and a partner for Morgan Rielly.

Under Keefe Barrie proved to be a good fit for Rielly, why take the risk to experiment even further while so many bared no fruits at all.

Due to all the circumstances, I believe the projected annual value of $8,- million per year is not available for Barrie, GM’s will be careful given the circumstances, making it possible for Dubas to explore a short-term or long-term contract with Barrie.

Sadly, keeping Barrie would likely mean the Toronto Maple Leafs would have to trade Travis Dermott, but if that’s the price for keeping Barrie, I’ll gladly pay it.

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