The Maple Leafs may already have a solution to one of their most familiar annual headaches, and it comes from inside the organization rather than from the trade market.
Ben Danford, a 20-year-old who was something of a surprise pick in 2024, is starting to look like the kind of steady young defender Toronto has spent years trying to find at the deadline. Several scouts had him ranked well below where the Maple Leafs selected him, but he turned heads during the Marlies’ Calder Cup run by looking calm and composed against older competition.
He didn’t flash, but he didn’t have to. For a young defenseman, that kind of poise can be the whole game.
If Danford keeps moving in that direction, Toronto’s leverage changes. Instead of entering February desperate for a shutdown blueliner and getting boxed into an overpriced rental, the Maple Leafs could already have that type of player in-house and on the cheap. That would let them avoid the usual deadline panic and choose their moments more carefully.
Edmonton, meanwhile, has a chance to lean into a familiar type of player with Michael Bunting. The idea has a neat symmetry to it: Bunting once stepped into the role Zach Hyman had filled in Toronto, and now he could follow Hyman to the Oilers.
The fit is easy to see. Edmonton has lost some of the edge and irritant factor that came from Perry, Kane, Desharnais, and Nurse, and Bunting brings exactly that kind of forechecking, net-front, muck-it-up style.
There’s also a telling detail in the mix: Bunting is reportedly training with McDavid and Hyman this summer. That doesn’t seal anything, but it’s a pretty loud signal.
Edmonton also has more than $4.7 million in cap space, and Bunting is coming off a contract year where a short-term “prove it” deal makes sense. He has already shown he can work alongside a star scorer after his run with Auston Matthews in Toronto, so this wouldn’t be a random depth flier.
It would be another move toward the gritty, forecheck-first identity that has helped carry the Oilers through their last two playoff runs.
Ottawa’s potential swing is the most boom-or-bust of the bunch, and it centers on Patrik Laine. His career has gone from 140-goal scorer early on to a player who barely saw the ice last season, when he spent most of the year on injured reserve in Montreal and managed only five games and one assist. Even so, he remains unsigned in late August, which suggests the market has gone cold.
That’s the kind of opening a team like the Senators could exploit. Ottawa already looks like a solid, well-rounded group, and the missing ingredient is more finishing punch.
If Laine could get back even to the 20-goal pace he hit in his last full season, that would carry real value. The financial piece matters too: a bonus-heavy, near-minimum contract would be a huge drop from the $8.7 million he once made.
It’s the definition of a low-risk gamble, and if it hits, it could be the sort of quiet move that ends up mattering when the playoffs arrive.
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The debate is not just about who wears the letter, but about what kind of leader the Senators want to define this group for the long term. Chabots standing as a younger veteran makes him an appealing bridge candidate, especially with the organization trying to balance present-day credibility with the future of its core, and that larger judgment could end up carrying as much weight as any on-ice resume. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Still Have One Clear PTO Need Before Camp Opens
With training camp approaching, the Senators are still weighing whether to bring in a little extra depth on professional tryouts, and the idea makes sense for a roster that could use more competition before the real decisions begin. A PTO does not cost much, but it can give a team a better look at players who are still available and trying to prove they belong, especially when the conversation is less about splash and more about finding a useful fit.
Among the names floating around are David Perron, Philipp Kurashev and Nick Blankenburg, each offering a different kind of insurance if Ottawa wants to add one more body to the mix. Perron stands out as the most obvious reunion possibility because of his familiarity with the room and Travis Greens structure, but the Senators are still in the stage of exploring options rather than locking anything in, which leaves this as one of the quieter storylines worth watching before camp opens. [Read more 🡒]