Toronto Maple Leafs: 4 Defenseman Team Could Trade For This Week
Rumors have swirled about the Toronto Maple Leafs trying to acquire a top-six forward, but they also seem to have their eyes on a defenseman.
Although this team has lost three games in a row, it doesn’t mean anyone should be worried. Even in defeat, they’ve played pretty well and have been competitive every night. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the luxury of being able to lose the next 10 games and they’d still be in a playoff spot, although that’s not an ideal scenario.
Currently atop of the North Division, the Leafs are going to be cruising into a playoff spot this year and will more than likely will finish as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. At this present state, the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers are probably their stiffest opponent, but they would be favorited in a playoff series.
Toronto’s roster from top-to-bottom is very strong and that’s even without a few forwards. Wayne Simmonds and Nick Robertson were supposed to be key contributors , but they’ve missed the majority of the season.
You could argue that those two pieces could be bigger additions than any other forward they would trade for, because it wouldn’t cost any assets to get them into the lineup.
Defensively, this team has been more sound than any season I can remember. Their top-four is very strong, meanwhile, the team is getting a ton out of Travis Dermott and Zach Bogosian.
Although the defense is in a better spot than previous seasons, it doesn’t mean they should stand pat. Instead, they should continue to add to their depth because once the playoffs start, it’s always good to have a deeper roster.
As a result, here are four players the Toronto Maple Leafs should target this upcoming week.
No. 4: Vince Dunn ($1.875M)
Dunn was a healthy scratch earlier in the season, which sparked trade rumors immediately. Although he’s played the majority of the games since, he’s still most likely going to be dealt before the NHL Trade Deadline.
Vince Dunn is on the trade block according to @FriedgeHNIC.
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 27, 2021
He's a total analytical darling, with excellent playdriving numbers at both ends. But he's been deployed very very hesitantly by the Blues, with low quality of teammates and miniscule quality of competition. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/o4fxydbw6F
The former second round pick has put up good offensive numbers during his short NHL career, and could be an upgrade on Travis Dermott. Dunn may only be 24-years-old, but he gained a ton of playoff experience with the St. Louis Blues during their 2018-19 Stanley Cup run. Dunn played in 20 playoff games that offseason and contributed two goals and eight points.
Most importantly, he averaged 15:10 TOI per night and wasn’t a liability on the ice. The Blues had a solid top-four defensive group already, so Dunn wasn’t asked to do too much and could play a role similar to the one he would in Toronto, if he were traded there.
With one year left on his contract at a minimal price tag, Dunn could be a player who fits in nicely for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It wouldn’t cost much to acquire him, so the team would still be able to go out and get that top-six forward they want as well.
The last thing about Dunn is that he’s from Mississauga, ON, so another local kid to the roster never hurts.
No. 3: Marc Staal ($5.7M)
This contract seems incredibly rich but if the Detroit Red Wings were to retain 50 percent of the contract, it’s a lot more doable. As of right now, Staal’s deal is really only worth $2.997M against the cap, so the closer they get to the deadline, the cheaper that contract becomes.
If the Leafs were trading for Staal, let’s say six years ago, this would be a big deal. However, at this current stage of his career, he’s not the player he used to be. And that’s okay.
The 34-year-old left shot defenseman has never been a point-producing machine. Instead, he’s a defensively-sound player who uses his size and body to his advantage. Or he’s thought to be. Staal is exhibit A in a player who does the traditional things right while posting numbers that say he’s a liability.
At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Staal could still be a valuable asset on a contending team. Having played in the NHL for 13 years, the Thunder Bay native came very close to a Stanley Cup championship during the 2013-14 campaign. His Rangers team unfortunately ran into one of the hottest goaltender performances in NHL history and were defeated by the LA Kings in five games.
As a result, Staal would probably like some redemption and a last chance at glory before he hangs up his skates.
Currently holding a no-move-clause, you’d have to think that he’d waive that in order to play for an organization like the Leafs. Who knows if that’s certain, but Staal would be another solid veteran in the room and someone who wouldn’t make too many mistakes.
When it comes to playoff hockey, that’s the exact defenseman you want as your No. 5 and No. 6 player and his experience of over 100 NHL playoff games played would only help this roster.
No. 2: David Savard ($4.25M)
After breaking the hearts of Toronto Maple Leafs fans in the NHL bubble last year, the 30-year-old pending UFA defenseman would be a great fit in Toronto.
If you watched the five-game series against the Columbus Blue Jackets last August, you’d remember Savard fondly. Although he wasn’t scoring hat-tricks like Pierre-Luc Dubois, he was eating up minutes like the Cookie Monster.
Typically averaging below 20 minutes per night, Savard’s number jumped to 25:24 in the playoffs last year. His style of game is perfect for the playoffs, because he’s a shutdown defenseman who can stop any team’s best offense.
It was a team effort during that series against Toronto last year, but he was a big piece of it. After watching what he could do to one of the best offenses in the league last year, you’d have to think that Kyle Dubas would love him on his side this postseason.
As a pending free agent, Columbus probably assumes that he’d walk. I mean, every player that becomes a free agent with the Blue Jackets seems to leave anyway, so there’s no reason to believe Savard would be any difference. With that being said, as much as Columbus would probably want to keep him, they’d get a great return if they moved on from him.
For a player like Savard, a first-round pick and a prospect would be fair for his services. Who knows what the asking price is from Columbus’ end, but if the Leafs are going to give up one of their better prospects, it would make sense to do it in exchange for a player like Savard who has shown that he’s at his best in the playoffs.
No. 1: Mattias Ekholm ($3.75M)
Ekholm currently has one year left on his contract after this year, so that could cause concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but at $3.75M per season, it’s a reasonable deal. The team doesn’t have a ton of cap-space next year, but if they decided to roll Jack Campbell out as their starting goaltender, it could free a ton of money up for upgrades elsewhere.
At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Ekholm is a big-body defenseman and a presence whenever he’s on the ice. Not only is he hard to play against, but he puts up great numbers offensively.
Acquiring proven NHL defenseman via trade is hard to do. The Toronto Maple Leafs were somehow able to steal Jake Muzzin away from the Kings for a reasonable price, but doing it twice could be tough.
As we’ve said multiple times throughout this article, Ekholm would be a perfect fit to Toronto’s defensive core. Not only would be a safety blanket to slide into the top-four if somewhere got injured, but he’d be an unbelievable No. 5 defenseman. He’d take the Leafs from having a very good defensive tandem to arguably the best in the NHL.
TSN had Ekholm at the top of their “Trade Bait Board” and it makes sense why. There’s not too many two-way defenseman that put up the points that he does and make less than $4M per season.
The Predators would be able to get a huge return for Ekholm’s services and it could help speed up their rebuilding process that’s started.
dark. Next. Latest Trade Rumor is Silly
The one good thing with Ekholm would be getting his services for two seasons, instead of one, so a big package to Nashville in exchange for him would probably be worth it. It’ll be interesting to see what the Leafs do over the next week, but don’t be shocked if one of these players is on the roster soon.