Why Zach Werenski is the perfect fit to be the Maple Leafs new number-one D-man
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to get themselves some Zach Werenski
The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is better than I thought it would be, but it pretty clearly is missing the main thing needed for NHL success: an elite, top-of-the-lineup option for the blue-line.
Which is why I think the Toronto Maple Leafs should set their sights on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski.
Werenski would be expensive and risky.
But I think he would very much be worth the risk. And, besides that, options for this position are extremely limited. Sure, the Leafs could trade Mitch Marner for Moritz Seider, or something similarly crazy, and maybe Noah Dobson becomes available, but it's doubtful.
Werenski though? it's logical at least that he'd be available.
Why Zach Werenski is the perfect fit to be the Maple Leafs new number-one D-man
Motive
The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is, at best, middle-of-the-pack. While Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe have formed a very successful shut-down unit, and OEL is holding his own in the top-four, this is, at best, a very precarious balance that the Leafs must maintain.
The Leafs blue-line is not only old, but it has no elite option and it lacks upside. There is also a very frightening lack of depth - sure people say they are deep, but in reality, having Phillipe Myers isn't going to help you if Tanev or McCabe go down with an injury, which they are extremely likely to do.
Tanev and McCabe have a lot of miles on their bodies, while OEL is best suited to playing on the third pairing at this point of his career. Morgan Rielly is still pretty great, but he is, at best, an elite number-two.
Simon Benoit is terrible and playing him with Jani Hakanpaa is just not a very good option.
In order to go from a handful of teams that could win the Stanley Cup to one of the few who should win the Stanley Cup the Leafs need to get a defenseman who can push everyone else on their depth chart down one notch. You simply cannot be a top team without an elite defenseman and the Leafs know this is their "missing piece."
The motive for the Leafs seems pretty clear.
Means
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the means to get this done.
First, the cap space: The 27 year-old Werenski makes $9.5 million dollars against the salary cap for the next four years. Not paying Tavares pretty much takes care of that going forward, but what about this year?
David Kampf, Max Domi and Simon Benoit represent $7.5 milion. That's really more like $5.9 in savings once league-minimum players take up the two roster spots that Domi and Kampf represent.
The Blue Jackets have a ton of cap space, so they'd likely take the Leafs cast-offs and retain some salary if the Leafs made an attractive enough offer.
The offer should start with Easton Cowan and perhaps a few draft picks to cover the cost of retained salary. The Blue Jackets would be getting one of the top prospects in the NHL in exchange for a defenseman who will be in his early 30s before they are competitive.
The Leafs could reasonably be said to have the means to get this done.
Opportunity
The Toronto Maple Leafs have tons of time until the trade deadline to try and work something out. Easton Cowan is clearly their best trade chip, and he's enough of one that he can bring back a very big piece that helps the team now. So the opportunity is there if they want it.
From Columbus' perspective, they are one of the NHL's worst teams and they need a few years before they can compete. By that time, Werenski will be in his thirties. Why pay a guy almost ten million per year through a rebuild?
The opportunity to trade for Werenski should be there if the Leafs want it.
So far this seasons, Werenski is posting a fantastic 53% Expected Goals rating when on the ice 5v5 for the Blue Jackets as well as 10 points in 14 games, which is nearly a 60 point pace.
Trading for Werenski would give the Leafs a puck mover for every pairing - Werenski, Rielly, OEL and they would also have an excellent shut-down guy for every pairing in Tanev, McCabe and Hakanpaa.
Acquiring Werenski would take the Leafs from a mid-range 15th ranking among NHL blue-lines to the top five, if not higher. It's hard to think of a better player that they could actually trade for who would probably be available.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs should trade for Zach Werenski, their missing piece.