The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Sign Defenseman Keith Yandle

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a number of roster decisions this offseason. They will certainly make a run for the Cup next year with a mostly unchanged team. The few tweaks that need to be made could include a surprising free agent.

Keith Yandle became an unrestricted free agent in mid-July when the Florida Panthers decided they needed to shed him from their lineup. He is a player that the Toronto Maple Leafs should check in on.

At 34 years old, it made sense for the Panthers to get out from Yandle’s contract but that doesn’t mean that he can’t still be a valuable contributor. The Panthers just didn’t want to continue paying the defenseman’s full salary for the remaining two years on his deal.

Yandle would be a good fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs, adding another veteran presence and the ability to be a role player. Dubas should try to bring him to Toronto to be the team’s sixth or seventh defenseman. The benefit of this would be that Yandle could easily move up in the lineup if the need arises, such as filling in for an injury.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Keith Yandle

He could also be someone to help the young D-men trying to make it in the NHL like Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin. If rumours of the Leafs shopping Morgan Rielly are true, then it also creates a need on the left side of the blue line, where Yandle plays.

The perfect person to connect with the Boston native is Jason Spezza. That’s because Spezza has bought into the culture of winning in Toronto. Only three years apart, the winger can sell Yandle on the city, the team, and the value in playing a specific role for the franchise. It has worked out well so far for Spezza and it could for Yandle too.

There is still a lot to like about Yandle’s game, but it’s not his defense. He is able to help generate offense for his club but is a liability in his own end. If Toronto were to bring in Yandle, he could potentially help them work out their powerplay woes. On the defensive end, coach Sheldon Keefe would need to shelter Yandle and find only the right situations for him to step on the ice.

For all the fans who groaned each time the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Martin Marincin, an acquisition like Yandle should make them feel hopeful that the bottom of the lineup can still produce. If he’s willing to join the Maple Leafs with a small cap hit, Dubas needs to get his signature on a contract.

With NHL free agency looming, it will be interesting to watch how the hockey landscape changes. Yandle is only a small fish in that pond but he could still be useful to the right team if used under the right circumstances.