Toronto Maple Leafs Still Looking to Upgrade Their Defense

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told reporters on Tuesday that defense is an area he’s looking to upgrade. He pointed out that he prefers “long D,” meaning defensemen with a long reach to break up plays and defensemen that can move the puck up ice effectively.

The Toronto Maple Leafs GM began to address this need by signing 6’3, 190 Lbs John Klingberg. Klingberg is good at moving the puck and getting it up ice.

He registered ten goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 67 games last season. Klingberg started in the offensive zone 64.1% of the time last season, compared to 35.9% in the defensive zone. However, he is not good defensively, so I think Treliving is still looking for a defensive defenseman. Treliving is known to like big, physical defensemen. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)

With Toronto already being $8.8 million over the NHL salary cap limit, adding another defenseman might have to come from the trade market.

Many defensemen fit the mold of what Treliving is looking for, but it depends on what it will cost to acquire them.

The off-season has only just begun, so there is still plenty of time. As the old adage goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
(Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

If, for whatever reason, Treliving is unable to address all of the team’s needs during the off-season, he can try again at the NHL trade deadline.

For now, the rest of us sit and wait to see what happens. Here is a look at a few defensemen that fit the mold that Treliving is looking for.

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

Toronto Maple Leafs Still Looking to Upgrade Their Defense

The Toronto Maple Leafs will need to use the trade market to get a decent offensive defenseman. All the unrestricted free-agent defensemen with offensive upside have all signed new deals.

Vince Dunn – Seattle Kraken

Vince Dunn is a 26-year-old left-shooting defenseman from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He is 6’0, 200 Lbs, and can play a ton of minutes.

He averaged 23:40 minutes of ice time last season. Dunn registered 14 goals and 50 assists for 64 points in 81 games. He also recorded 80 blocked shots and 115 hits.

Dunn is an RFA coming off a two-year deal worth $8 million with a $4 million annual cap hit. Depending on how much of a raise Dunn is looking for, he good be a target for Treliving.

Erik Karlsson – San Jose Sharks

Erik Karlsson might be 33 years old, but he proved to everyone last season that he still has what it takes to be a top defenseman in the NHL.

He just won the Norris Trophy for best defenseman after registering 25 goals and 76 assists for 101 points in 82 games. Karlsson can play 25 minutes a night and is an expert at getting pucks up ice.

He still has four years left on his contract, worth $11.5 million a season. Toronto cannot afford to add that contract, but San Jose would likely retain salary in the deal.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs could get the Sharks to retain 50% of Karlsson’s contract, his cap hit in Toronto would be $5.75 million.

Bowen Byram – Colorado Avalanche

Bowen Byram is a 22-year-old from Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. He registered ten goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 42 games last season.

In a complete season of 82 games, Byram could reach 40+ points.

He has two years left on his deal, worth $3.85 million a season, and will be an RFA after the 2024-25 season. Byram has a concussion history that might sap his trade value, otherwise he’s a potential future number-one type player with a solid all-round game and the potential to be a superstar.

Nikita Zadorov – Calgary Flames

Nikita Zadorov is big (6’6, 248 Lbs), mean, and physical. Treliving is very aware of what Zadorov could bring to the Toronto Maple Leafs. There is a reason why he had Zadorov in Calgary. The 28-year-old left-shooting defenseman registered 14 goals and seven assists for 21 points in 82 games. He also recorded 75 blocked shots and 174 hits.

The big Russian has one year left on his contract with a $3.75 million cap hit. It’s a contract that would be easier for the Leafs to work around. He could be the physical presence that Toronto currently lacks on the blueline.

Jamie Oleksiak – Seattle Kraken

Jamie Oleksiak is a 30-year-old left-shooting defenseman from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At 6’7, 257 Lbs, he is a force to be reckoned with. He registered nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 75 games last season while also recording 115 blocked shots and 126 hits. Oleksiak checks off a lot of boxes for what Treliving is looking for.

He has three years left on his contract, worth $4.6 million a season. Now could be the best time to acquire him, as he has a no-trade clause that kicks in after this season.

Matt Dumba – UFA

Matt Dumba will be 29 years old on July 25th. He is a 6’0, 181 Lbs right-shooting defenseman from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Last season was not his best offensive season, with 14 points in 79 games, but he still averaged 21:17 minutes of ice time and recorded 116 blocked shots and 104 hits. Dumba’s previous cap hit was $6 million a season.

Next. Leafs 2022-23 Goalie Grades. dark

No idea how much he is seeking as a UFA, but he could be an interesting addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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