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5 North Division Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade For

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 4: Jordie Benn #8 of the Vancouver Canucks and Wayne Simmonds #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs get set to trade punches during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 7-3.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 4: Jordie Benn #8 of the Vancouver Canucks and Wayne Simmonds #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs get set to trade punches during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 7-3.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 4: Jordie Benn #8 of the Vancouver Canucks and Wayne Simmonds #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs .(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Jordie Benn, Vancouver Canucks

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a very solid defensive core, but they could use another one or two legit NHL players to solidify the depth chart.

With over 500 games of experience, Benn would make a great No. 7 defenseman on the Leafs. Benn isn’t a defenseman that you’re going to see on the scoresheet often, but he is someone who can provide some solid minutes and help keep the puck out of the net.

As a pending UFA, Benn currently holds a $2M cap-hit, so acquiring him mid-season shouldn’t be tough to do, based on cap space.

Benn was born in British Columbia and has a no-trade-movement, so it’s possible that he’s content in his situation and wouldn’t want to waive it. However, at the same time, he’d probably rather be on the best team in the North Division, than one of the worst.

You’re not going to notice much of the 33-year-old when he’s on the ice, but he’s going to provide some stability on the back-end and help out, in case of injury.

Instead of relying on rookies like Rasmus Sandin or Timothy Liljegren who haven’t played in big playoff moments, someone like Benn would be great in the dressing room and wouldn’t be scared by a big game.

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