Top 10 Right-Handed Defensemen Toronto Maple Leafs Should Acquire
The Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need to upgrade their defense.
Whether it’s via trade, free agency or in-house, the Toronto Maple Leafs need to strengthen their defensive-core.
Finishing 27th in the NHL in Goals Allowed, the Leafs gave up way too goals this season.
As one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup the past few seasons, the Leafs have thrown away an offensively-gifted team thanks to their lack of defense.
When the Leafs traded for Tyson Barrie last July, that was the type of player many fans thought would make a difference.
A right-handed puck-moving defenseman who can jump into the rush to contribute offensively is the type of player that fits the mold in Toronto.
In countless interviews, the Leafs always talk about how they want they want puck-moving defenseman who get it up the ice quickly. Whether that’s with their own speed or quick passes in the neutral zone to their forwards.
Barrie was a player that was supposed to do everything the Leafs wanted but he folded. In the biggest season of his career, he threw away a ton of money by how terrible he played.
I’ve defended his play since the Sheldon Keefe hiring, but he did nothing in the playoffs to prove the Leafs should bring him back.
With Barrie set to become a UFA, the Leafs have two defensive spots available next year (assuming Dermott resigns) that they need to upgrade.
Here are the top-10 right-handed defenseman the Leafs should pursue:
#10. Colton Parayko
Here’s a name that has been part of trade rumors to the Leafs were a while.
Parayko went from a relatively unknown player to a top-four defenseman on a Stanley Cup winning team. His stock is extremely high at the moment and with two years left on a contract that pays him $5.5 million per season, that’s great value.
The Blues have a few aging veterans (Tyler Bozak, Alex Steen) that they would love to replace with younger talent. Fortunately, the Toronto Maple Leafs have more than enough young offensive weapons that they could leverage in a trade.
The Blues are currently close to the salary cap, so if they want to re-sign Alex Pietrangelo, they might have to sacrifice Parayko’s contract to do so.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could offer Andreas Johnsson, Kasperi Kapanen or Alex Kerfoot as great replacements for the aging veterans and they also have term at a low-deal that could entice the Blues.
This trade may be a little harder to pull off based on the cap, but Parayko is a player the Leafs should definitely pursue and inquire about.
#9. Trevor van Riemsdyk
I just want the Toronto Maple Leafs to sign van Riemsdyk so we can see more camera time with his dad Frans.
During the HBO 24/7 series when his brother James played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, their dad was a huge hit on the show because he was hilarious.
Although Trevor doesn’t put up the point-totals that his brother does, his plays a much different position, so he doesn’t need to.
Set to become a UFA this off-season, Trevor has had a Corsi Rating above 50 percent for the majority of his career. He isn’t averaging much more than 15 minutes per night, but he’s shown that he can be a bottom-six defenseman in the NHL.
When Dougie Hamilton returned to the Carolina Hurricanes line-up, van Riemsdyk was unfortunately pushed out of the line-up, but he still has a lot of hockey left in him.
After making $2.3 million the past two seasons, I’d suspect that he would be looking at a little bit of a pay-decrease next season based on the current market, so if the price is right, he could be a good and cheaper replacement for Dermott.
If talks became serious, I’m sure Trevor would ask James what he thought about his time in Toronto, and he’s always had nothing but great things to say.
There, Toronto should have an advantage in signing him if they wanted to strengthen the bottom-half of their defensive core.
#8. Dustin Byfuglien
There’s no player in the NHL that is more intriguing right now than “Big Buff.”
It’s still unsure whether or not he wants to play hockey again, but now that he’s officially a free agent, it makes me wonder if he would return if Toronto called him.
As a player that has already played for an “Original-Six” franchise and a Canadian team, Buff knows what it’s like to have the limelight on him. But he also knows what it’s like to succeed in such a hard market.
In a non-salary cap world, Byfuglien would have likely played for the Chicago Blackhawks until he retired, but his contract forced the team to trade him after winning a Stanley Cup. The city of Chicago loved “Big Buff” and the style of hockey he played during his prime was unlike any other player in the league.
With such a big-frame, he could deliver a bone-crushing hit then rush down the ice and score.
His unique style made him a force and even though he hasn’t played since the 2018-19 season, he has the ability to be a difference maker.
Well, if he’s in-shape.
That’s the biggest question with “Big Buff.” Currently listed at 260 pounds, it’s quite possible that a year off skates could mean his weight has skyrocketed. Nobody knows whether or not this true, but based on his body-type, it wouldn’t be surprising.
Hopefully Byfuglien has stayed in decent shape if he’s interested in playing hockey again and pulled a Rob Gronkowski.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, and many other teams, would love to have him on their blue-line.
#7. Sami Vatanen
The soon-to-be UFA had a weird year as he got traded to the Carolina Hurricanes midway through the season but never got to play for them until hockey returned six months later.
Vatanen’s style is very intriguing on the Leafs roster.
He’s a great skater that can get the puck up the ice very quickly. Not only that but he has a pretty good shot from the point.
Paired with the offensive weapons on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vatanen would do very well on the power-play in Toronto.
The two downsides to bringing in someone like Vatenen would be his pay and his defense ability.
Right-handed defensemen are hard to come by in the NHL and he currently has a cap-hit of $4.875 million per season.
At that price point, you might as well look at bringing Tyson Barrie back into the equation, but if they were somehow able to get him to take closer to $3.5 or $4 million, this wouldn’t be the worst pick.
Vatanen has been a solid player for the Hurricanes in the playoffs and he still would be the Toronto Maple Leafs best right-handed option if the team signed him, so like I said before, if the price works, it’s worth exploring.
#6. Justin Schultz
The production for Schultz has definitely fallen off over the past few seasons, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion is worth a look.
Schultz’ career has kind of gone like this: two good years, two down years, repeat.
He’s currently been on two down years, which means he’s bound to return to normal, right?
Prior to playing in Pittsburgh, Schultz had six goals and three goals respectively in back-to-back seasons in Edmonton.
However, in his first full season with the Penguins, he went off with 12 goals and 51 points. A change of scenery may be what awakens Schultz’ game, which means the next team he plays for may get a brand new player.
Toronto has a similar type of team as Pittsburgh and Schultz could fit in very well on the second pairing defense on the right side. He not only brings winning experience, but he can fill a gap on the Leafs that they need to fix immediately.
Similar to a few other players we’ve talked about, Schultz isn’t going to be the stay-at-home defenseman that many Leafs fans scream for, but he’ll be able to skate with this fast Toronto team and be a valuable player for them.
As one of the better UFA defenseman this off-season, it’s possible that he’ll be asking for too much money, but the Leafs should explore the possibility of adding him to their depleted right side.
#5. Matt Dumba
Last week, Dumba was involved in a hypothetical trade that Toronto should seriously consider.
Would you give up Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson for Dumba, straight up?
Well, it’s a very interesting one to discuss. Personally, I think this solves a lot of answers for both teams.
Minnesota would receive some young offensive talent that they need, while the Leafs would get an incredibly gifted defenseman.
Dumba’s style of hockey suits the Toronto Maple Leafs program very well.
Paired beside someone like Jake Muzzin or Morgan Rielly, Dumba would have the freedom to skate up in the play, but is also solid enough defensively to hold his own.
At 26-years-old, Dumba still has a few years to get into the prime of his career and show his ceiling and playing in Toronto would allow him to do that.
Obviously, as previously mentioned, the Leafs would have to trade a few assets for him, but it would be well worth the risk to acquire someone as talented as Dumba.
#4. P.K. Subban
The former Norris Trophy winner’s career is at a cross-roads.
For someone who’s as talented as Subban, he’s already been traded twice in his career and more likely than not will be dealt again.
The biggest issue that comes with Subban is his contract. There are not many teams that can afford his $9 million cap-hit if they wanted to acquire him. The Leafs definitely can’t afford that, but they can get creative.
The New Jersey Devils have more than enough salary-cap room that they can retain 50 percent of Subban’s contract in a trade.
Meanwhile, the Leafs have a ton of offensive talent that they can trade to the Devils to make keeping half of his contract worth it.
As someone who grew up in Toronto, he shined in the team’s rival city, Montreal.
What do you think would happen if he played in his hometown with players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares?
He would put on a show every single night and turn into one of the biggest fan-favorites the Leafs have ever seen.
Although it’s probably too good to be true, if Subban can rejuvenate his career, Toronto seems like a great place to do it.
#3. Jeff Petry
The Montreal Canadiens need scoring help, ASAP.
The team has been able to win this post-season thanks to Carey Price and Shea Weber, but they could use a game-breaker.
The Leafs have more than enough of those types of players to make a trade with Montreal.
Although a Montreal-Toronto trade doesn’t happen too often, the Leafs could use the right-handed shot of Petry.
Pertry only has one year left on his contract, so it’s possible that Montreal could lose him for nothing after the 2020-21 season. Why not get an asset for him if they can’t agree on an extension?
Currently with a $5.5 million cap-hit, Petry wouldn’t kill the Leafs salary cap if they acquired him, because they would most likely save money if they traded for him.
Petry eats up minutes and has been able to score double-digit goals for the past three seasons.
He also finished with a 57 percent Corsi rating this year, which is one of the best in the NHL for a defenseman.
Since he plays for the Canadiens, it’s easy disrespect his game, but if played on the Leafs, he would quickly be the team’s best right-handed defenseman.
#2. Kris Letang
The Pittsburgh Penguins said they wanted to shake things up, so why not trade their best defenseman?
Here’s the trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs trade Travis Dermott, Andreas Johnsson and Conditional 1st Round Pick (*Leafs win two playoff rounds*) to Pittsburgh for Kris Letang.
Who says, no?
The Penguins get a young right-handed defenseman, a 20-goal scorer and a potential first-round pick to trade a 33-year-old blue-liner on the back-half of his career.
The Leafs would be getting a right-handed Morgan Rielly who would be incredible on the Leafs blue-line and would instantly make their top-pairing one of the best in the NHL.
Letang has a No-Movement-Clause so he would have to agree to the deal, but it’s definitely something to explore.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion has played his entire career with the Penguins and although he’ll continue to have a great chance at winning a fourth alongside Sidney Crosby, the opportunity to win in a Canadian market, as a Canadian-kid may be something that intrigues him to wave the no-movement clause.
#1. Alex Pietrangelo
Pietrangelo is essentially the John Tavares of defensemen.
I’m not sure if there’s a picture of him in Toronto Maple Leafs pajamas, but he’s the local kid the Leafs NEED to acquire during Free Agency.
When the Leafs signed Tavares in 2018, it felt like the team had won the Stanley Cup.
Forever, the Leafs had been in the running for a big-name centre, but they never signed him. Whether it was Brad Richards or Steven Stamkos, for whatever reason neither player wanted to play for the Leafs.
Ever since Tavares changed that stigma, fans are hopeful that it will happen again with Pietrangelo.
The 30-year-old defenseman is set to become a UFA, as he’s on the last year of a seven-year $45.5 million deal.
In order for the Leafs to lure him to Toronto, it’s quite possible that he’ll be looking for a very similar deal, if not a little more.
The pandemic has made the salary cap flat for the next few seasons so maybe his cost will go down, but he’s bound to be asking for a lot of money.
Unless that salary per season is a double-digit, the Leafs need to do everything to acquire him because he’s the perfect player for this Leafs team.
He’s a right-handed shot that can contribute offensively and play incredible defense.
Born in King City, ON, Pietrangelo would bring great winning experience to a young Leafs roster, having just won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues.
Don’t get me wrong. Signing Pietrangelo will not make the Leafs the favorite to win the Stanley Cup next year, but he would bolster a depleted right-side and make the team so much better.
Next. The Leafs Top Ten Prospects. dark
The Leafs need Pietrangelo more than any other free agent available, so we’ll see what the executive team can do to make him a Leaf.