The NHL draft is just two days away, and NHL free agency begins the following Tuesday. The brunt of roster building will be done in the coming weeks, and The Athletic thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs would be wise to focus on improving a defensive unit they rank 18th in the league.
“Over the last decade, one of Toronto’s biggest problems has been a lack of a true No. 1 defenseman,” The Athletic writes. “Morgan Rielly at his peak may have been offensively gifted enough, but he gave way too much back to really qualify. To this day, it remains an issue for Toronto, leading to the team’s top forwards playing one-dimensional hockey when it matters.”
This is why the publication believes the Leafs need to be on the look out for a high-end defenseman. Not just a top-four pairing, or a depth piece. The Athletic believes the Leafs need to find a blue liner they can hang their hat on in the new year.
“When Nathan MacKinnon can play with Cale Makar and Connor McDavid can play with Evan Bouchard, they can offensively dominate while not giving much back. Auston Matthews playing with all-defense guys such as Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev does not offer the same luxury.
So while Toronto’s blue line is mostly complete and is deep, it’s lacking the high-end talent necessary to go all the way. The Leafs have three No. 2s and two solid guys in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Carlo, but the lack of a clear-cut No. 1 is a huge problem,” The Athletic concludes.
High End Defenseman Available
The first guy to be named in any defensive free agent conversations this Summer is the Florida Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad. In every way imaginable, Ekblad has maintained that he wants to be a Panther come October. However, the money just might not workout.
Ekblad’s last contract was an eight year, $7.5 million AAV. Which means that, following back to back cup championships, the next one could be eight figures.
“Jakob Chychrun’s eight-year, $72-million windfall in Washington leaves Ekblad as the most desirable defence option for teams looking to bolster their blue line,” Sportsnet’s Luke Fox writes. “Unless he’s willing to accept a significant discount, Ekblad will be cashing in elsewhere.”
The next two defenders are as good as the rest of this class has to offer, but do not quite meet The Athletic’s criteria for a back pair lead man. The Los Angeles Kings’ Vladislav Gavrikov and the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Dante Fabbro.
While Gavrikov’s last season was likely as good as it gets for the 30-year-old vet, Fabbro is just 27 showing a very promising trajectory. He represents a step in the right direction for a team trying to get over the hump.
Toronto’s Defensive Unit Under Contract
The Maple Leafs have nothing to worry about entering this free agent cycle. Each of their top six defenseman are all under contract until the 2027-28 free agency.
The team does not need a blue liner to fill a hole which means they can be picky with who they eventually choose to sign. I expect a big time stab at Ekblad next week.
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