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The Toronto Maple Leafs Add Depth to Their Blueline

By Jeremy Ridgewell

ELMONT, NEW YORK - JANUARY 30: Jordie Benn #8 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on January 30, 2022 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
ELMONT, NEW YORK - JANUARY 30: Jordie Benn #8 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on January 30, 2022 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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On the second day of free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs addressed their need for depth on defense.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed free agent defensemen Jordie Benn and Victor Mete. Both players got signed to one-year deals worth $750,000.

A team can never have enough depth, so adding these two players was a good move by Toronto GM Kyle Dubas. According to capfriendly.com, both players are on the Toronto Marlies roster. The Maple Leafs have five defensemen on their NHL roster, with Rasmus Sandin still unsigned.

With only a little over $2 million in available salary cap space, Dubas still needs to sign restricted free agents Rasmus Sandin and Pierre Engvall. Keeping that in mind, along with the two newest additions, one would think a trade is bound to happen at some point.

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and Mark Giordano playing left defense. Because of this, Sandin has supposedly been a little reluctant to sign a new deal.  . Will the Maple Leafs explore the idea of trading Muzzin to free up space on the left side for Sandin? Muzzin has a no-trade clause, so he has to agree to any trade.

Toronto Maple Leafs New Depth Not a Threat to Rasmus Sandin

The pair of Benn and Mete are no threat to Sandin. Both were signed to offer depth. Benn could start the season as Toronto’s seventh defenseman, while Mete will likely play with the Marlies. I see Benn as a replacement for Ilya Lyubushkin, who recently signed with the Buffalo Sabres.  Benn brings the physicality that the team will miss with Lyubushkin gone.

I think both Benn and Mete are good additions for two reasons. The first reason is that both were willing to sign one-year deals for the league minimum of $750,000. Secondly, both can play as either left-defense or right-defense. In the event of injuries to one or more of Toronto’s defensemen, it is good to have the added depth.

It will be interesting to see where Dubas goes from here. He has addressed his goaltending situation and the need for depth players. This team still has plenty of offensive talent, so that is not an issue. Dubas must ensure the Toronto Maple Leafs start the season with solid defense. As of right now, I don’t think it is. We’ll see if he can address that through free agency or trade.

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The additions of Benn and Mete are not flashy, but they are necessary. Having the added depth is a good thing for the team to have. Let’s hope Toronto doesn’t need it, but be glad it’s there.

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