4 UFA Defenseman Toronto Maple Leafs Should Target

MONTREAL, QC - MAY 24: Goaltender Jack Campbell #36 of the Toronto Maple Leafs defends his net with the help of his teammates Justin Holl #3 and Rasmus Sandin #38 against Corey Perry #94 and Paul Byron #41 of the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 24, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MAY 01: Mathieu Joseph #7 of the Tampa Bay Lightning . (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Marc Staal

The 34-year-old from Thunder Bay, ON would be a perfect fit on the Leafs blue-line, as a third-pairing left-handed defenseman.

With 948 career games of experience, he would more than likely blend well beside the young Rasmus Sandin. As your typical stay-at-home-defenseman, Staal would be able to sit back, while Sandin could use his legs to rush the puck up the ice and get involved in the play.

They would be a balanced fit and Staal would also bring a wealth of knowledge to the roster, as he tries to win his first career Stanley Cup. Toronto doesn’t need a defenseman who can score. Sandin and Rielly can carry both of the powerplays, while the rest of the defenseman need to be hard to play against. Staal would be able to fill the gap of Bogosian and be a reliable player every night.

Also, at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, he brings a size-element that this Leafs roster doesn’t particularly have. If the Leafs can get Staal for $2.5M or less, I think that would be a worth-while move for them. Anything over that and you may as well start Liljegren every night and use your money on the offense.

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