Toronto Maple Leafs: Cheap Defensive Depth Trade Options

Late last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a trade with the St. Louis Blues.

The Toronto Maple Leafs upgraded their lineup by adding Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari. General manager Kyle Dubas did so without subtracting any active roster players. The trade is a big win for Dubas and the team.

There is a sense that Dubas could have another trick up his sleeve.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the best teams in the NHL, and they have trade assets and cap space (or at least the flexibility to get some) so it seems obvious that they aren’t done.

The Leafs are 6th in the NHL in Expected Goals Against per game, so it’s safe to say that their defense has been excellent, but it wouldn’t hurt to add more depth for the playoffs.

Toronto currently has eight defensemen on its active roster. Jordie Benn sits out pretty much every game, and Conor Timmins has established himself as the next man up, even subbing in for a healthy Justin Holl earlier this week.

Ideally the team will get a huge upgrade at the top of their lineup, but if that isn’t in the cards it certainly cannot hurt to add more NHL quality players to the lineup.  Been looks good as a number-eight, but do you want him starting in the playoffs?

Toronto Maple Leafs Defensive Depth Options

Here are three defensemen under contract beyond this season and cost under $3 million. These are not defensemen expected to play in the top four. They are strictly depth options, at least for this season.

Andrew Peeke

Andrew Peeke is a big (6’3, 210 Lbs) 24-year-old right-shooting defenseman. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft with the 34th overall pick. Peeke has five goals and four assists for nine points in 55 games this season.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)

There are a few things that make him attractive to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The first thing is his $787,500 cap hit this season before his three-year extension kicks in next season with a $2.75 million cap hit. He can play 20 minutes a game if needed, and he has 120 blocked shots and 119 hits this season. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

Jacob Middleton

Jacob Middleton is a 27-year-old left-shooting defenseman with plenty of size (6’3, 219 Lbs). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2014 NHL draft with the 210th overall pick. So far this season, Middleton has two goals and six assists for eight points in 55 games.

Middleton is under contract until the end of the 2024-25 season. His cap hit is $2.45 million per season. He has 102 blocked shots and 83 hits this season while averaging around 18 minutes a game. The Minnesota Wild are battling for a playoff spot right now. Middleton will not be available unless the Wild start sliding down in the standings.

Nick Seeler

Nick Seeler is a 29-year-old left-shooting defenseman currently playing with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL draft with the 131st overall pick. He has three goals and seven assists for ten points in 55 games.

Seeler is 6’2, 200 Lbs, and plays a decent physical game with 91 hits and 102 blocked shots. His contract ends at the end of next season and carries a cap hit of $775,000. Seeler averages 14 minutes a game but has played beyond 16 minutes a few times this season.