The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be hunting for help on the blue line again, and David Pagnotta says the target is a top-four defenseman.
That pursuit comes after a major season-changing swing already landed Kirill Marchenko from the Blue Jackets in a deal that sent Matthew Knies the other way, along with additional pieces. It was a bold call from GM John Chayka, and one that underlined just how far Toronto is willing to go to chase a title.
The Leafs may also have some room to maneuver. With Max Domi, Elvis Merzlikins, and Dakota Joshua on the LTIR, they now have $7M in cap space to work with, as long as they remain on LTIR. Pagnotta said the club has been more aggressive in that search lately.
"They're a looking for a top 4 guy, They've been a little bit more aggressive on that hunt recently."
That lines up with recent reports from Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston, who both suggested Toronto may not be finished making moves.
The logic is easy enough to follow. The Leafs have already pushed plenty of chips in this season, and the trade that moved Knies showed Chayka is not afraid to deal away real assets if he thinks the return helps right now.
The bigger question is what kind of defenseman Toronto wants. The offense on the back end got a boost with Darren Raddysh added this year, but there’s still room to add more punch.
Roman Josi of Nashville is one name floated as a possibility, with the idea that he could bring offense without giving much back defensively. That kind of addition would also let Morgan Rielly slide down the lineup.
Rielly is the key piece in all of this. Toronto needs to find the right kind of support around him. A Raddysh-Rielly pair doesn’t sound like a long-term answer defensively, and while splitting up Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev could free up better combinations with Rielly and Raddysh, it would also break up Toronto’s best shutdown duo.
If the Leafs want more defensive stability without losing the ability to move the puck, Dougie Hamilton could make sense. He can drive play, he works as a strong second power-play option, and he could rotate with Rielly while giving Toronto another reliable option if injuries hit.
For now, the exact name is anyone’s guess. What isn’t in doubt is that Chayka seems ready to keep swinging if he thinks the right move can make the Maple Leafs better.
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