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2 Huge Rental Defensemen the Toronto Maple Leafs Trade For

By Mike Jack

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 21: Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs warms up prior to action against the Columbus Blue Jackets in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jackets defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 21: Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs warms up prior to action against the Columbus Blue Jackets in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jackets defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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If I could add one type of player to the Toronto Maple Leafs before the playoffs, it would be a huge intimidating defenseman that can move or tie-up players in front of the net, that hits, block shots and can play top four minutes.

During my time as a hockey fan, I’ve loved defensemen like Scott Stevens, Chris Pronger and Zdeno Chara.  The game has changed a lot since those players were in their prime and there aren’t many defensemen anymore who can play the game like they could.

I’ve always wanted the Toronto Maple Leafs to have a defenseman like that, but over the 30 years I’ve been a Leafs fan, the closest we’ve gotten was Dion Phaneuf.  I know Phaneuf had his flaws, but I was a fan.

As far as huge top four defensemen , the Toronto Maple Leafs have Jake Muzzin (6’3) and Justin Holl (6’4), but in my opinion, they could us an upgrade on those two.  Both players are having an off year, but Justin Holl has been especially criticized this season, not only by fans but also by his own coach and teammates.

Muzzin has also been injured during the playoffs for two consecutive years now.  It seems like teams know that if they can take out Muzzin, the Toronto Maple Leafs will crumble.  There’s a lot of weight being placed on Muzzin’s shoulders and he needs someone reliable to share in the shutdown responsibilities on the back end.

2 Huge Rental Defensemen the Toronto Maple Leafs Could Acquire

The easiest way for the Toronto Maple Leafs to fill this void is to trade for a rental player from a team that’s going to be a seller at the trade deadline on March 21st.

Looking at the crop of current 2022 UFA’s that are on teams that seem destined to miss the playoffs, there are two players in particular that I believe could really help out the Toronto Maple Leafs during the playoffs.

Rasmus Ristolainen is a 6’4 giant right-handed defenseman on the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s consistently been in the top 5 hits leaders among NHL defensemen for the passed few seasons.  Unless he’s signed prior, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, so he may be moved to a cup contender for assets before the NHL trade deadline.

Ristolainen blocks a lot of shots, plays top four minutes, is an excellent skater and a bruit of a player.  He’s been stuck with bad Buffalo teams for years, and the Flyers aren’t looking much better.  I’d like to see what he can accomplish playing on a good team.

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently in twelfth place in the Eastern Conference, so they are likely to miss the playoffs and be deadline sellers.  There’s still a lot of hockey to play though, so it really depends on where they sit at the trade deadline.

The other huge defenseman that intrigues me is 6’3 Montreal Canadiens defenseman, Ben Chiarot.  He’s been among the top 20 defensemen in both hits and blocked shots over the past few this seasons.

Ben Chiarot may have more defensive upside than Rasmus Ristolainen though it may not show on the terrible Canadiens team this season.  He was a big part of Montreal’s playoff run last season though.  Chiarot shoots left but plays both sides and doesn’t seem to play as physical as Ristolainen.

dark. Next. Whatever Happened to Dmitri Yushkevich?

There have already been a lot of trade rumours involving Ben Chiarot, but I don’t expect anything to happen until closer to the trade deadline where his value will peak.  With the Canadiens currently seated as the Eastern Conference bottom feeders and their recent front office firings, I’d expect them to make some big changes by the end of the season.

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