Expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade for a defenseman, sooner than later.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are absolutely buzzing right now. Mitch Marner is arguably the best player on the planet, the goaltenders are playing great, all while the defensive-core is beaten up and broken.
Despite the multiple injuries on the blue-line, the team is floating well above water. In fact, they’ve seemingly played better with some of their best defenseman out of the line-up. All of this is fantastic, but it’s probably not sustainable in the long run.
As a result, the team is going to look for a defenseman, most likely filling Jake Muzzin’s spot.
By all accounts, Muzzin is never going to play another hockey game in the NHL again. His injury seems too threatening to his life outside of hockey, so it doesn’t really feel like it makes sense for him to play the game anymore.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner is not only one of the team’s best defenseman, but he’s a leader. He only makes this roster better when he’s healthy, so he’s a huge loss to the line-up and someone who will be hard to replace.
Although, they’ll try their very best.
Toronto Maple Leafs Likely to Make a Trade for Defenseman Soon
During an interview on the JD Bunkis Podcast, Elliotte Freidman spoke about Muzzin’s injury and what he expects the team to do:
"I think they’d like somebody with an edge. The best defenseman is what they’ll try to do, I think, but I think there is a preference that it is someone with a bit of an edge.One of the guys that they saw firsthand in the bubble was Vladislav Gavrikov. I wonder if he is very high up on their list.(via: JD Bunkis Podcast)"
If the team wants to replace Muzzin, someone like Gavrikov makes a ton of sense. As Freidman points out, he’s someone who plays tough and that was one of the best elements of Muzzin’s game. They shouldn’t go after skill in someone like Jakub Chychrun, but instead go after someone who’s tough.
Although it was a nothing trade when they originally acquired him last season, Ilya Lubushkin made an impact on this team and should be the type of player Toronto is targeting once again. He was on a cheap contract with only one-year left on his deal and played with physicality.
Someone like that will be crucial to this team, especially in the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a very good regular season right now, which is something they’ve been for the past five years. That’s important to punch your ticket into the playoffs, but once that post-season starts, they’re going to need another defenseman or two that plays with an edge and can be intimidating to play against every night.