3 Hypothetical Trades Toronto Maple Leafs Should Make
No. 3: The Dougie Hamilton Trade
The Trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire:
- Dougie Hamilton
- Carolina Hurricanes acquire:
- Morgan Rielly
- Alex Kerfoot
- 2022 1st Round Pick
- 2021 2nd Round Pick
If you’re watching the NHL playoffs right now, every team has a No. 1 defenseman who can play 30 minutes per night. Whether it’s Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo or Victor Hedman, it feels like every team has a workhorse.
When you look at the Leafs roster, they don’t have that player. No offense to T.J. Brodie, Morgan Rielly or Jake Muzzin, but those guys can’t control the puck and play unreal defense as number-one defensemen in a playoff series. They’re great players and can play their roles well, but you don’t want them playing every other shift.
However, one defenseman who’s currently available and can do that, is Dougie Hamilton.
The 6-foot-6, 230 pound defenseman from Toronto, ON is a beast. Not only can he play 30 minutes a night if you asked him too, but he can score from the point and run a powerplay. He would solve two of Toronto’s biggest problems if the team acquired him.
Hamilton could be asking for around $10M per season and although that’s a huge chunk to pay, he would be worth it. By shipping out Rielly and Kerfoot, you’d immediately shed $8.5M, so there would be a way to make it work, without losing too many others.
Hamilton is a huge upgrade over Rielly and since Hamilton is going to be a UFA anyway, the Hurricanes would probably take this package so they don’t lose him for free.
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After missing out on Pietrangelo last year, the Leafs should make a splash and acquire Hamilton.