Who Could Be The Defenseman The Maple Leafs Add at the Deadline?
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic: The March 8th NHL Trade Deadline is about eight days away, and Jonas Siegel looks at the defencemen the Toronto Maple Leafs could add to help them win a Stanley Cup.
Siegel writes that the ideal defenseman is a right-handed shot to pair with Morgan Rielly. There are few righties available, and the Leafs could look at that roster to see who can play both sides. They have options there.
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Will Borgen of the Seattle Kraken is on a modest contract of $2.7 million for this season and next season. He has been a third-pairing guy but is rock solid. The Kraken has no obligation to move him unless a great package comes their way.
Noah Hanifin is another option, but with his appeal to play below the border, the Leafs are not an option. Again, it comes down to whether they want to move a first-round pick for a rental.
Adam Larsson of the Seattle Kraken. Larsson has come a long way since his days with the Devils. He has matured into a solid top-four defenceman in the league. Not to mention, he is a right-shot defenceman who eats heavy minutes.
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Other logical fits include a possible reunion with Ilya Lyubushkin of the Anaheim Ducks. The Leafs know he can play with Rielly. They saw it in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Then there is David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens. He has one more season at $3.5 million, and the Leafs could justify moving a first-round pick for him.
Other options include Zach Bogosian. Toronto saw what he did with Tampa Bay when he won the Stanley Cup. Joel Edmundson, Nick Seeler, and Sean Walker are other options, but with Minnesota, Washington, and Philadelphia in the thick of things, it is unclear if they will move those players.
There are other players, as Siegel writes, that could work, but Toronto would have to pay a pretty penny for them, but it never hurts to ask.