The Toronto Maple Leafs need defense. That’s what the prevailing thought has been for the last several seasons, and after Morgan Rielly suffered a broken foot recently that will keep him out for quite a while it isn’t changing anytime soon. Today, Bob McKenzie was on TSN radio talking about the Maple Leafs’ current search for help on the back end:
I think it’s a very specific need. I think it’s a right-shot [defenseman] or a left-shot who has a lot of experience playing on the right side. It’s also somebody who has a significant amount of term on his contract, and by significant I would probably say the low end of the bar would be what they did with [Jake] Muzzin. That is someone who has the rest of this season and another full year before they get to unrestricted free agency.
That is obviously a very precise ask and one that the Maple Leafs have seemingly been unable to find in recent years. One of the first things that former head coach Mike Babcock remarked after the team traded a first-round pick and two prospects for Muzzin last season was how the veteran’s handedness—that is, left-handedness—made him an imperfect fit on the roster. GM Kyle Dubas went out and found Tyson Barrie in the offseason, but he has had mixed results on the ice and is scheduled for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season.
So is Cody Ceci, who is turning into a failed experiment of his own after coming over from the Ottawa Senators. If those two leave, the organization will be down to just Justin Holl and Timothy Liljegren among right-handers with any NHL experience (and the latter has just ten minutes at that) signed for the 2020-21 season.
Once again Mathew Dumba is brought up in the conversation with McKenzie along with other speculative names. The Minnesota Wild defenseman is signed through the 2022-23 season but carries a $6MM cap hit, something that might be too expensive for the Maple Leafs to handle as they try to navigate the salary cap with three of the highest-paid forwards in the league on the roster.
Obviously there is an appetite to acquire a defenseman at this point, but it’s clear that the Maple Leafs have a very specific type of player in mind. With now just a month left before the deadline, it is still to be seen whether they can even find that player around the league, let alone land him in trade.
Buchnevich, Brady Skjei, and Georgiev for the following: William Nylander, Jeremy Branco, Joseph Woll and a 3rd round pick in 2020 draft. Helps Toronto cap situation as Skjei is approx 2 mill less then Nylander and Buchnevich makes up for Nylander loss.
That’s a bad deal for the leafs. Nylander is worth all that come on
It’s about opening cap space for the leafs , getting an excellent back up goalie, a solid D man, and a young winger to replace Nylander. Maple leafs need cap space.
But it doesn’t open up anything in fact it makes it worse next year
Absolutely agree!
What are the Strangers going to do with Woll?
Not saying they will but with Barrie at $2,750,000 and Ceci at $4,500,000 = $7,250,000 to Minnesota for Matthew Dumba at $6,000,000 per , difference $1,250,000 cap space in favor of Toronto Gavin how would this be to hard when you take the salary caps Toronto comes out on top unless not seeing something in the contracts just curious ?
So, G., why would Dollar Bill want two dead contracts in Ceci & Paper Mache Barrie AND give away Dumba, who really is as good as the two of them, combined? Minne fan is already disgruntled, and that move, while fiscally prudent for the Leafs, doesn’t make Minne better. Good thought, but maybe Anaheim would rather have those dog contracts, instead. The problem there is TOR would have to part with a valuable piece or two, just to get half-decent draft picks back. Maybe Kyle is amenable to that, but only if they miss the playoffs. Those two were just flat-out bad signings, that many of us here saw a mile away.
your right mac , should of added few minor prospect and mid range draft picks going both ways to sweeten pot. or better yet look for greener pastures elsewhere. Toronto still needs to part with Ceci and Barrie. Anaheim your right done said they would take on bad contracts doesn’t contracts of Barrie and Ceci spell BAD!
Sounds like Ristolainen of the Sabres would fit the bill perfectly, if they could get a decent forward in the same price range in return.
I don’t see any reason the Sabres will help out a fellow team that is in their backyard & playoff foe. Sabres will have D. Cozens & available cap space for next season.
Sabres have extra defense, and need help up front. I’m not saying to give him away, but if they can get equal value it could help both teams.
Manson makes the most sense out of ANA. You would have to send Kappy + to make an attractive pkg but, everything you would be sending you can already replace. The sticky situation is that what happens to little Willy if his buddy Kappy is gone. Does he start pouting and not play well?