The Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Trade for an Elite Defenseman, Here's 10 Options
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to make a big change.
Not only are the Toronto Maple Leafs in desperate need of a number-one defenseman, but their entire team seems stale.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have clearly made a big mistake by "running it back" yet again, and they did not live up to the expectations for change that they set for themselves at the end of last season when they held their annual post-mortum.
The Leafs - recently ranked near the bottom of the league in a poll at the Athletic that had 40 NHL executives rate each teams management quality and performance - switched coaches and brought in a 34 year old defensive defenseman, but it wasn't nearly enough.
This team, as constructed, is flawed. I don't know if they've just been together too long without success or what the deal is, but there is no excitement, no spark, no feeling of the team being destined for great things.
The current version of the Leafs is a faceless, anonymous entity without personality. Their mangagement does not have a clear vision of what they want, and everyone knows that if this team doesn't make it to at least the Conference Finals this year, it will be blown up completely.
If there was a word that best descibed this season for the Leafs, I'd say that word is "purgatory."
All that can change, if the team is bold enough. If they recognize the problem that I have laid out here - and really, how could they not? - the only thing they can do is take a big swing for a defenseman that would have an instant impact.
What they need is someone who can come in and push Morgan Rielly to the second pairing, Chris Tanev into a more comfortable number-two role, and OEL down to the third pairing where he belongs.
The Leafs need to make a trade that has the impact of the Doug Gilmour, Mats Sundin and Dion Phaneuf trades (two of which went down mid-season).
The Leafs need to make a big change and they need to get a no-doubt high-end defenseman, so let's just assume that they are offereing a package of either William Nylander or Mitch Marner for every player listed here. (All stats naturalsttattrick.com and all cap info puckpedia.com).
Here is a list of their options. They are not listed in any kind of order, but the first three are serious suggetions, and the last page is full of guys who they should at least kick the tires on, but who are highly unlikely to be moved.
Moritz Seider
Seider is 23 years-old and has the talent to become one of the best defenseman in the NHL. Unfortunately, Detroit has hindered his development by giving him too much too early, and pairing him with terrible players such as Ben Chiarot.
One reason Seider might be available - though its doubtful that he is - could be his horrendous stats and the perception that he isn't becoming the player they thought he would be.
For the first three seasons of his career, Seider has had trouble getting his puck-possession numbers above 45% and this year they are cratering even worse.
Detroit constantly loses his minutes, and his expected goals rating has been bad every year and this year it's threatening to slide into the high 30s.
Sieder is in the unenviable position of being the top dawg on a brutal team and playing the type of soul-crushing minutes that are threatening to destroy his career. As such, he is the perfect change-of-scenery type of player.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could insulate him with Chris Tanev, and swap him out for Morgan Rielly when he struggles, but he'd have a much higher chance of hitting his insanely high potential on a better team.
You don't usually get these players without drafting them, and when you do, it's usually because you paid for a distressed asset and revived it. That should be the Leafs goal here.
He's signed for seven years for $8.5 million. Detroit might jump at an offer of Mitch Marner or William Nylander for Seider because it's not working for them and its not working for us at the moment either.
Zach Werenski
Having played his entire career in Columbus, Zach Werenski is an extremely underrated player. A left handed shot, he would be the perfect fit with Chris Tanev on the Leafs top line. He is big - 6'2, 210 - and meaner than his reputation suggests.
Werenski can drive play and score a ton. Like Seider, the only thing preventing him from being a top-ten NHL defenseman is the fact that he plays on a crap team with bad players.
That, and the injuries. Werenski has constantly beein injured and it has prevented him from reaching his full potential.
He has 5 season of 40+ points, and a career high of 57 last season in 70 games. And that's on Columbus. Imagine the point totals with Auston Matthews.
Werenski is 27 and since the Blue Jackets won't likely be any good before he's 30, you have to figure they'd jump at the chance to get some solid assets for him. The interesting thing about Werenski, is that you could probably get a trade like this done without including either Nylander or Marner, just because of his injury risk.
The Leafs have to find good players on bad teams who have the potential to become elite when played in a better situation, and after Seider, no player fits this defenition better than Werenski.
Noah Dobson
Noah Dobson is 6'4, and he scored 70 points last year in 70 games. More impressive - he did it on the New York Islanders.
The former 12th overall pick is right-handed, and working on making this his 4th straight season with 49 points or more. He's on the verge of being a top-ten NHL defenseman, and could be exactly what the Leafs need.
The Islanders likely don't want to trade him, but in professional sports, whenever a newly minted star player is in the last year of his contract and the team he plays for isn't going anywhere fast, there is always the possibility of a trade.
The Islanders are a poorly managed, middle-of-the-pack team with a decent core, but not one that is likely to ascend to the top of the league anytime soon. A package of propsects and picks, or even one elite forward, might just be preferabble to re-siging Dobson for $8.5 million or more after this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, on the other hand, could easily afford to pay him with the money they will no longer be paying John Tavares. Dobson, along with Werenski and Seider, is one of the three best options available to the Leafs if they want to acquire a top-of-the-lineup defenseman.
What follows is a quick list of seven other options that are extremely unlikely, but which should, nevertheless, be explored thorgoughly, just in case.
Charlie McAvoy
Charlie McAvoy is likely not available, but would'nt the Bruins have at least a passing interest in uniting William Nylander and David Pastrnak?
Rasmus Dahlin
Not sure why he'd be available, but the Sabres have let Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart win Stanley Cups on other teams, so why not complete the trifecta and send Dahlin to Toronto? Those other trades didn't make any sense, so why should this one?
Tomas Harley
The Stars are looking to win the Stanely Cup. Would they at least consider adding Mitch Marner to the top of their lineup? Harley likely wouldn't be enough to get it done, but it could be the basis of a mutually benifical blockbuster.
Jake Sanderson
The Ottawa Senators have a nice core, but they could use an elite superstar like Marner to put them over the top. Would Sanderson be enought to get a trade like that done? I doubt it, but it's a start, and maybe the two teams could help each other address their various weaknesses.
Luke Hughes
The Devils aren't going to trade Luke Hughes, because they already have Jack Hughes and no one wants to split up the brothers. But then again, wouldn't Mitch Marner and Jack Hughes be an incredible combo? The Devils are really, really deep on the back-end and having a defensivly elite forward like Marner might just be what the doctor ordered.
Obviously, this and every name on this page is a pipe-dream, but you don't know if you don't try. The Leafs need to make a big change and they need a top defenseman if they want to win the Stanley Cup. They should be trying to trade for every big name defender in the league.
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That said, they really need to focus their efforts on Moritz Seider, Zach Werenski and Noah Dobson, all of whom could reasonably be had....for the right price.