Toronto Maple Leafs Will Seek Defensemen and Goaltenders Next Summer
Brandon Montour
Brandon Montour registered 73 points last season and will be one of the top defensemen available once free agency opens on July 1st. He will likely be one of the more expensive defensemen. He is a right-shooting defenseman and will be 30 next summer. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)
Shayne Gostisbehere
Shayne Gostisbehere registered 41 points last season. He will join Montour as one of the top defensemen available on July 1st, 2024. Gostisbehere is a left-shooting defenseman but can play both the left and right side.
Brady Skjei
Brady Skjei registered 38 points last season. He provides offense but also hits and blocks shots. Skjei is a left-shotting defenseman who plays the left side. He could replace Giordano’s roster spot on the Leafs left side. The Leafs could always use a big (6’3, 210 Lbs) defenseman who plays a lot of minutes (20:32 minutes career average).
Noah Hanifin
Noah Hanifin is another big (6’3, 207 Lbs) left-shooting defenseman who can play a lot of minutes (20:04 minutes career average). He registered 38 points, 129 blocked shots, and 76 hits last season. Hanifin is another good option for the Toronto Maple Leafs to add to their left side.
Brett Pesce
Brett Pesce could be the perfect replacement for T.J. Brodie on the Leafs right side. He is a big (6’3, 206 Lbs) right-shooting defenseman who can provide offense but is good defensively. Pesce registered 30 points last season. He also had 110 blocked shots and 60 takeaways compared to 26 giveaways.