Toronto Maple Leafs: Pros and Cons of Adding Scott Mayfield

The Toronto Maple Leafs can afford to add defenseman Scott Mayfield, but should they? He addresses a need, but is it enough?

During his 32 thoughts segment on February 22nd, Elliotte Friedman mentioned Radko Gudas and Scott Mayfield as possible options for the Toronto Maple Leafs to explore. Both are pending UFAs and would only be considered rentals. Mayfield is the cheaper of the two when it comes to salary cap implications. Gudas has a cap hit of $2.5 million, while Mayfield’s is $1.45 million.

Goaltender Matt Murray is likely returning from LTIR this coming week. Even with his return, Toronto could still afford Mayfield without the New York Islanders retaining any salary cap. The Maple Leafs have already sent Joey Anderson through waivers to the Toronto Marlies.

They could do the same with Jordie Benn once Murray returns. Toronto would then have a 21-man roster with $2.078 million in cap space. Just enough to add Mayfield’s $1.45 million.

The cost for acquiring either Gudas or Mayfield is thought to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Toronto has no 2nd round picks until 2026 unless they acquire one through a separate trade. They have a 3rd round pick in this year’s draft and the 2025 draft but could trade a prospect instead.

If Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas trades away his 2023 3rd-round pick, he’ll have no draft picks in this year’s draft until the 5th round. A clear sign of a team going all-in to try and win.

Scott Mayfield Pros and Cons for Toronto Maple Leafs

Adding any player comes with pros and cons. Teams must weigh these and figure out if the pros outweigh the cons. Dubas is no doubt doing that right now with many possible player options. I’m sure Mayfield is one of them, but not the only one. Here are the pros and cons for Mayfield.

Pros:

• Salary cap hit is under $1.5 million at $1.45 million
• Averages between 19-21 minutes a game
• His size (6’5, 220 Lbs.)
• Has 125 blocked shots and 73 hits
• Has 51 games of playoff experience.

Cons:

• Too many giveaways (53)
• 66 PIM (Penalties in minutes) – Would be the second-highest on Toronto
• Corsi numbers are not good. CF% is 40.6% meaning his team only controls the puck 40.6% of the time while he is on the ice

Some of Mayfield’s cons could improve by joining a better team like the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pairing him with the right defense part could also help. I’m sure Dubas is doing his due diligence on Mayfield and others. We will find out between now and the March 3rd NHL trade deadline if Mayfield will become the newest member of the Maple Leafs.