When Will Toronto Maple Leafs Overhaul Their Defense?

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are not having much luck with their defense.

The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is beset with injuries. Conor Timmins, Jake McCabe, and Timothy Liljegren are all injured, with no specific return date. It sounds like Timmins and McCabe could be getting close while Liljegren will be out for a while.

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said during the off-season that he would “overhaul the defense.” Adding John Klingberg doesn’t count as an overhaul, and he hasn’t been a good enough addition.

Eventually, an elite number-one to push everyone on the depth chart down a notch is going to be needed if the team wants to win the Stanley Cup, while a stay-at-home style defenseman with size who won’t get pushed around would be the best realistic option for right now.

The Leafs defense, when healthy, is not good enough, so with the current injuries, it is even worse.

Mark Giordano isn’t bad, but he’s 40 and shouldn’t be playing regularly.

T.J. Brodie is capable of playing in the top four, but his play is declining. With both of them and Klingberg being unrestricted free agents this summer, expect one or two of them to get moved before the NHL trade deadline.

Hopefully, Treliving will address the need for a defenseman soon. I’m sure he’s been looking at all options, but I’m not sure how much longer the Leafs can afford to wait.

If the Leafs had a fully healthy defense, I would have said to wait until at least American Thanksgiving (November 23rd), but I don’t know if they can wait that long now. Here is a look at a few defensemen the Leafs could target for a trade.

Left-Shooting Defense Options for Toronto Maple Leafs

Nick Seeler – Philadelphia Flyers

Nick Seeler is a 30-year-old left-shooting defenseman. He is 6’2, 200 Lbs, and averages 15:33 minutes of ice time. Seeler has one assist, nine hits, and 22 blocked shots in 12 games this season. His contract is very manageable at $775,000 for this season. When he’s on the ice, expected goals for is 6.5 and expected goals against is 5.4.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Martin Fehervary – Washington Capitals

Martin Fehervary is a 24-year-old left-shooting defenseman. He is 6’2, 199 Lbs, and averages 18:55 minutes of ice time. Fehervary has zero points, 25 hits, and 17 blocked shots in 10 games this season. His contract is decent at $2.675 million for three seasons. He will be a restricted free agent (RFA) after the 2025-26 season. His expected goals for are 6.4 and his expected goals against is 6.9.

Nikita Zadorov – Calgary Flames

Nikita Zadorov is a 28-year-old left-shooting defenseman. He is 6’6, 248 Lbs, and averages 18:39 minutes of ice time. Zadorov has three assists, 20 hits, and nine blocked shots in 10 games this season.

His contract is $3.75 million for this season. He will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the summer. Zadorov has ties to Toronto Maple Leafs GM Treliving from the GM’s time in Calgary. Zadorov’s expected goals for is 5.4 and expected goals against is 6.9.

Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

Right-Shooting Defense Options for Toronto Maple Leafs

Chris Tanev – Calgary Flames

Chris Tanev is a 33-year-old right-shooting defenseman. He is 6’2, 193 Lbs, and averages 18:29 minutes of ice time. Tanev has one assist, four hits, and 24 blocked shots in 11 games this season.

His contract is a pricy one at $4.5 million, but the Leafs could manage it depending on who they send to Calgary. Like Zadorov, Tanev also has ties to Leafs GM Brad Treliving, who was the Flames GM before coming to the Leafs. His expected goals for are 6.0, and his expected goals against is 7.8.

William Borgen – Seattle Kraken

William Borgen is a 26-year-old right-shooting defenseman. He is 6’3, 204 Lbs, and averages 16:46 minutes of ice time. Borgen has four assists, 24 hits, and 15 blocked shots in 12 games this season. His contract is $2.7 million for two seasons. He will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the 2024-25 season. Borgen’s expected goals for is 8.4 and his expected goals against is 6.8.

Any of these five defensemen would be a nice addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs blueline. Hopefully, Brad Treliving can find a way to add one or two of them to the Leafs lineup soon.

Next. The Leafs Top 10 Prospects 2024. dark

If Treliving is thinking of helping this team for both now and beyond this season, his best options from this list are Martin Fehervary and William Borgen.

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