Although they're not guaranteed a playoff spot, the Toronto Maple Leafs may look to make a big trade for a defenseman sooner than later.
For the past 30 years, the Leafs have had blue-line trouble. There have been multiple good players to play defense, but there haven't been many All-Star's. Morgan Rielly is the longest tenured and most recognizable defender of the past 15 years, but he's no better than "good."
He's made one All-Star team in 13 years and has only scored double-digit goals twice in his career. Based on how people have bought his jersey, you'd think he was the second-coming of Bobby Orr, but he's been fine, when he's at his best.
So as the Leafs look towards the next three months, it's probably a little less than a 50/50 chance that they make the playoffs. Most gambling websites have them around (+160) so if you thought they're going to make it, a $100 bet would pay you $160 in profit.
Dennis Hildeby and Joseph Woll have been hot lately, while the Leafs have been playing with more urgency, so management may be excited about the future. I'm a little more pessimistic when it comes to this bunch, but it wouldn't shock me if GM Brad Treliving made a trade to improve the team. As such, here are three defenseman they will realistically target.
No. 1: Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn feels like a player the Leafs will never sign but will continue to trade for at the deadline for the next few years. The two-time Leaf returned for the playoff run in 2023 and was a welcome sight. He's older and slower than he was once, but at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, he's a physical player who plays smart.
Currently playing on the last place Winnipeg Jets as a pending UFA, Schenn is an asset that the team will move. Jets' GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is one of the classiest executives in hockey, so Schenn wants to return to Toronto and the Leafs are willing to offer the team a 5th round pick, I'm sure he'll make that move for him.
No. 2: Connor Murphy
Connor Murphy feels like the perfect protoype for coach Craig Berube. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, the defender plays strong. He only makes $4M AAV and is a pending UFA so his contract is very affordable.
He's averaging just over 19 minutes of ice-time per night and the Leafs desperately need a player who can fill those type of minutes on the right-side of defense. If Chris Tanev returns this year, that's a plus but at this point, it doesn't look like it's happening. As a result, Murphy can slide to the second-paring alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Those two would complement each other well as Ekman-Larsson can push the puck up the ice comfortably knowing that Murphy will stay back and be in the right position. Adding Murphy also pushes Troy Stetcher to the third-pairing which is nice. Although he's been playing well, this hot-streak probably won't last for another three months.
No. 3: Rasmus Andersson
Ever since Brad Trelviing took over as GM, Andersson's name has been mentioned in trade conversations. The Calgary Flames defenseman has one year left on his deal and if they continue to fall out of a playoff spot, he'll most likely be traded by the Deadline.
The one issue with Andersson is that although acquiring him is realistic, it'll take a lot more assets than getting Murphy or Schenn. With the Flames in a rebuild/retool, they'll want a top-pick, current player and/or high-end prospect which means something like this would be needed to gain his services: 2025 2nd Round Pick, Ben Danford and Easton Cowan.
Andersson is an offensively talented defenseman who can help the Leafs blue-line, but with very little talent in the farm system already, I'm not personally trading that much for Andersson. However, since he knows Andersson well, it wouldn't shock me if Treliving traded the farm and went "all-in" once again.