With the NHL trade deadline looming, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be snooping around to look for the missing pieces to their winning puzzle as they prepare for the stretch run.
Among the areas that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to address, getting at least one more proven defenseman should be high on their list to help round out their top-six heading into the playoffs.
With respect to candidates that are available at the deadline, they range from promising young talents to proven veterans, as well as having either an offensive or defensive prowess or even both at the same time.
The Leafs should be looking for someone in their 20s who can move the puck. Unfortunately, many of the likely candidates do not fit that despcription.
Top Defenseman Trade Targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Trade Deadline
Bowen Byram - Buffalo Sabres
One of the best options available that could potentially pay huge dividends for this season and beyond is 23-year-old Bowen Byram. Having already played for a Stanley Cup winner back in his early 20s with the Colorado Avalanche, Byram knows exactly how to get it done on the biggest stage. As a former first round pick from the 2019 NHL Draft, he was set to live up to his potential in becoming a top-pairing defenseman.
However, some setbacks with injuries that included concussions has kept him from fulfilling that potential, as he has yet to play more than 56 games in any season, until now. But now will a clean bill of health this year and playing in the Buffalo Sabres top-four, Byram appears to be back, registering 7 goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 56 games played while averaging greater than 23 minutes of ice time to date.
Byram could play a huge role in solidifying the Leafs top-four, with his only caveats being his injury history and being left-handed, which the Maple Leafs back end are loaded with. Otherwise, this potential high-risk, high-reward option should be right at the top of their target list.