No. 1: Joseph Duszak
Currently in his fourth season with the Toronto Marlies, Duszak is having his best season yet.
With 34 points in 33 games, Duszak’s play-making skills have been on full-display thus far, as he’s second on the team in scoring.
The 24-year-old is small (5-foot-9) but he’s feisty. He’s never been shy to rack up PIM’s during his entire hockey career and has always been someone who’s been an offense-first type of defenseman.
His size may be an issue at the NHL-level, but his offensive ability can make up for it. He’s a great defenseman on the power-play and his high-end NHL comparable would definitely be someone like Ryan Ellis..
Duszak is at the point in his career, where he’s seemingly too good for the AHL, so an NHL team would probably be interested in taking a look at him. The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is pretty crowded right now and an offensive right-handed defenseman isn’t what they necessarily need, so look for him to be expendable at the trade deadline.