The Toronto Maple Leafs seriously need to consider trading for a top-four defenseman at the NHL Trade Deadline this year.
For the past two months, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been rumored to be searching for a centreman, yet I've always thought they've needed a defenseman. And not just a depth defenseman in case someone gets hurt; a legitimate top-four defenseman who can change the outcome of a game.
When was the last time the Leafs had a legitimate no. 1 defenseman? Was it Bryan McCabe or Tomas Kaberle back in the early 2000s? I seriously can't remember a time that the team has trusted a defenseman to play 25-30 minutes per night in a playoff game, but that may have changed this year, with Chris Tanev.
Tanev has been a beast and is someone who the team can trust every night. Him and Jake McCabe are a great pairing, but after that, the defense is weak. They've been bailed out by solid goaltending performances by Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz all year, but when the goaltender falls apart, like we saw with Dennis Hildeby this week, the team melts down.
With only two defensemen on the roster that I trust, the Leafs need to trade for another one or two to solidify the roster. I don't care if draft picks, roster players and prospects are traded at this point, as you can't let another year of Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Auston Matthews and William Nylander go to waste.
Here are three defenseman the Leafs need to target: