The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have their forwards lines sorted for the coming season. However, the roster isn’t yet complete.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could greatly benefit from an upgrade to their defense core.
It happens that the best defenseman in the NHL is rumoured to be on the trading block. There is no bigger prize for the Leafs at this time than to boost their blue line than the acquisition of Erik Karlsson.
Karlsson was unbelievable last season for the San Jose Sharks.
He put up hall of fame numbers. In 82 contests, the 33-year-old Swede recorded 25 goals and 76 assists.
Keep in mind, that was a 101 point season for a defenseman, not a forward. (stats nhl.com).
For comparison’s sake, the leading scorer on the Leafs last season was Mitch Marner. He had a total of 99 points. On the back end, Morgan Rielly was the Leafs leader. He had 41 points in 65 games, coming on four goals and 37 assists.
Karlsson is just built differently than every other defenseman on the planet. That’s why his presence in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup would fundamentally change the way they play and make them more dangerous on the ice.
Karlsson is currently under contract, which means he isn’t among the many NHL stars still looking to sign with a new team.
To acquire Karlsson, the Buds will need to make a trade. This means that General Manager Brad Treliving would need to dip into his most valuable assets to bring the eight time all-star to Toronto.
Here are three possible trades the team can make to make Karlsson a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.