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Toronto Maple Leafs: 4 Defenseman Team Could Trade For This Week

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 9: Paul Stastny #25 of the Winnipeg Jets is checked against the boards by Justin Holl #3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during their game at Scotiabank Arena on March 9, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 9: Paul Stastny #25 of the Winnipeg Jets is checked against the boards by Justin Holl #3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during their game at Scotiabank Arena on March 9, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 04: David Savard #58 of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first period at American Airlines Center on March 04, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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.

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