No. 1: Travis Dermott
After getting drafted 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, it hasn’t been a fairytale career playing for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
Dermott has been an everyday NHLer for the majority of the past three seasons, but he hasn’t established himself as a player the team needs to keep. He lost his spot to Rasmus Sandin for a few games in the playoffs, before ultimately getting it back, and hasn’t turned into a top-four defenseman that everyone projected he would become.
However, he does continue to dominate 3rd pairing minutes, posted elite defensive stats, and plays left-defense on a team with Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin, so it isn’t exactly like there is anything he can do to get more ice time.
As a pending RFA, Dermott could still return to Toronto, but he would be a great piece for Seattle to grab, as they look to kickstart their franchise.
Since Dermott’s skating is so effective and his ability to rush the puck is a strong part of his game, I think many people expected him to be more of an offensive defenseman, rather than a defensive one. However, during his short career, he only has 11 goals and 47 points in 208 games.
That’s not a terrible stat-line, considering the limited minutes he plays and the fact that he never plays the powerplay, but it feels like he could turn into a more offensively gifted player one day.
Although Toronto would more than likely like to keep Dermott within the organization, Timothy Liljegren and Sandin are two young players who can fill his void if Seattle does in fact draft him.