The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t settle for less than a Stanley Cup. Auston Matthews is an excellent star, but he needs to be surrounded by good players. Morgan Rielly is the team’s current number one defender. However, if the situation arises, should they trade for an upgrade?
A new report has been released regarding the Maple Leafs and the Utah Mammoth. At the center of it is the blueliner Mikhail Sergachev.
Maple Leafs Connected to Mikhail Sergachev
Howard Berger of Between the Posts has a new report on a trade target for the Maple Leafs. According to his social media post on Saturday, August 30, the Maple Leafs have had conversations about Sergachev.
“Told the Leafs have talked to Utah about defenceman Mikhail Sergachev,” Berger’s post begins. “Age 27. Cap hit $8.5 million. Full NMC. 53 points last season for the Mammoth. Creative cap work would be required by Toronto with only $1.9 million in current space.”
This is the first time the Maple Leafs have been connected to Sergachev this offseason.
Sergachev was initially drafted ninth overall in 2016 by the Montreal Canadiens. The 6-foot-3, 212 lb left-handed defender recorded 15 goals, 38 assists, and 53 points in 77 games, while averaging 25:07 per game. He also fired 132 shots, threw 61 hits, and blocked 140 shots.
Is Sergachev an Upgrade For the Maple Leafs?
As a playoff team playing in a high-pressure market like Toronto, the Maple Leafs must go all-in every season. Securing a player like Sergachev would be a slam dunk in multiple ways.
Sergachev would be an upgrade on several defenders. For starters, his 53 points last season are higher than any Maple Leafs blueliner. They are also the 12th most points collected by any defender in the 2024-25 season.
The 27-year-old ate ice time for breakfast, lunch, and supper, with only five other defensemen skating more per game than him. Those other defensemen were Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Brock Faber, and Miro Heiskanen. Jake McCabe was the time on ice leader for the Maple Leafs, playing 21:31 per game.
Part of the discussion this offseason has centered on the need for the Maple Leafs to generate more offense on the powerplay. Sergachev recorded 23 powerplay points last season, while averaging 3:19 per game with the man advantage. Rielly only generated 14 powerplay points in 2024-25.
According to PuckIQ, Sergachev played 478 minutes against Elite competition last season. He came out of the other side with a 52.6 Corsi For percentage (CF%) in those minutes.
Among all NHL defenders who played at least 400 minutes against Elite competition, his 52.6 CF% ranks ninth. Sergachev is right above Devon Toews and right below Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin.
Can the Maple Leafs Make the Money Work?
Here is the biggest problem facing the Maple Leafs if they were to have interest in Sergachev.
The Maple Leafs only have $1.919 million in cap space, while the Mammoth have $6.68 million available. Would the Mammoth have any interest in Rielly? Since the 2017-18 season, he has had at least 40 points every year, except for two, and he only played 47 & 55 games, respectively, for those years.
For the Mammoth to give up a big part of their blueline, the Maple Leafs would need to add a significant prospect to seal the deal. Are the Maple Leafs willing to let Easton Cowan go as part of a deal to secure a top two-way blueliner with a couple of Stanley Cups under his belt?
Whatever the price tag, Sergachev is a game-changing defenseman. If the Maple Leafs are interested, acquiring him would provide a significant boost to their roster.
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