3 Defenseman the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Try to Trade For
3 Defenseman the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Try to Trade For
No. 1: Chris Tanev
According to @JFreshHockey’s analysis this season, the Leafs number-one target right now should be Chris Tanev.
As shown by the Nikita Zadorov trade this week, it looks like the Calgary Flames are open for business, so there’s no reason to believe that Tanev won’t be the next defenseman traded.
Tanev is playing at an elite level this year, but with the Flames destined for a rebuild, they’ll likely look to move his expiring contact for an asset.
Zadarov surprisingly only got traded for a 5th Round and 3rd Round Draft pick, when you could argue that he’s more valuable than Tanev, because he is younger, bigger and has a smaller cap-hit.
Tanev is no slouch, standing tall at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, but Zadorov is a beast at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and will destroy his opponent in the playoffs.
Tanev will still have that ability, but it would have been nice if the team was able to acquire Zadorov as well.
With GM Brad Treliving’s connection to Calgary, you’d think that it would be easy for him to acquire Tanev, but realistically he’s probably going to have to offer more to get him.
Based on their immediate need, I’d be fine with a B prospect and a draft pick for Tanev, so hopefully the team can find a way to get him to Toronto, which is also his hometown.
No. 2: Sean Walker
At $2.65M, on an expiring deal, Walker is a very intriguing trade target for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Similar to Tanev, Walker is a local kid (Keswick, ON), so coming to Toronto could be a welcomed sight for the 29-year-old.
So what type of player would the Leafs be acquiring if they traded for Walker?
Although he’s a relatively unknown defenseman throughout the NHL, he can fill a ton of gaps that Toronto is desperately missing.
His speed and skating abilities are unbelievable that resemble a lesser Morgan Rielly but at the same time, he’s been blocking shots and laying out hits like Mark Giordano this year.
He’d immediately jump into a top-four role with the Leafs defensive-core and would do almost everything above average, helping the team out defensively and potentially offensively.
In 23 games thus far, Walker has four goals and 11 points, while averaging 21 minutes per night.
With every game, it feels like his trade stock is going up, so Toronto would be best suited to jump on this player before another contender jumps in a pays a premium for him.
No. 3: Ilya Lyubushkin
Wouldn’t it be great to see a return of the Russian Bear, Ilya Lyubushkin?
Despite being an unknown player when he was originally acquired by the Leafs, Lyubushkin made an immediate impact and played great alongside Rielly.
The two turned into the team’s top pairing defense core and a reliable pair in the playoffs.
After making the mistake of signing Nick Ritchie, Kyle Dubas turned Ritchie into Lyubushkin, which was one of the best moves of the season.
Unfortunately, he left for Buffalo after the season, but there’s no reason to believe there can’t be a reunion.
He’s currently playing a rebuilding Anaheim Ducks team and is a pending UFA, so you’d think that they’d be open to trading him for an asset.
At $2.75M, he has a reasonable contract that the Leafs could trade for, but the Ducks also have a ton of cap-space, so they could be willing to eat 25 or 50 percent of it.
Next. 10 (Mostly) Elite Options on Defense. dark
I can speak on behalf of all Leafs fans that we’d all love to see Lyubushkin back in a Leafs uniform this year.