The Maple Leafs have built themselves into a familiar kind of problem: too much NHL defense depth and not enough room to keep everybody happy.
Right now, Toronto has eight NHL defensemen under contract, and that leaves new general manager John Chayka staring at a roster squeeze before camp even gets rolling. If the Leafs don’t make a move, they could be forced to expose a defenseman to waivers and lose an asset for nothing.
Philippe Myers is the name most likely to get caught in the middle. He has one year left on his deal at $850,000, the smallest contract on the team, but he is not eligible to be sent to the minors without clearing waivers first. With the roster built the way it is, there may simply not be enough room for everyone.
That’s the twist here: Toronto’s blue line depth, which should be a good thing, has become a management headache. The Leafs made a sign-and-trade for Darren Raddysh, acquired Emil Andrae and extended him for two years, and also extended UFA Troy Stecher for two years. Brandon Carlo was the only defenseman moved at the draft, and that deal brought back draft compensation.
So now the Leafs are sitting on a crowded defense group and trying to figure out who actually fits. The final two spots appear to be up for grabs among Stecher, Andrae and Myers. Andrae and Stecher both got new deals from management in the last two months, while Myers has the cheapest contract of the three and is a UFA after next season.
That makes him the likeliest odd man out, even if he turns heads in camp. If Toronto chooses to keep two defensemen around, the pressure shifts elsewhere and a forward could end up on waivers instead - something management does not seem eager to do.
There is a path that makes all of this disappear, of course. If the Leafs trade someone like Morgan Rielly, the issue goes away. But with a no-move clause in play or Chayka possibly not finding the kind of return he wants, Toronto may be stuck with the roster it has and the consequences that come with it.
The comparison between Stecher, Andrae and Myers is straightforward in some ways and tricky in others. Stecher and Myers both play right defense, while Andrae shoots left and can handle both sides, which gives him extra versatility. Andrae is also the youngest of the group at 24, compared with Stecher at 32 and Myers at 29.
Stecher may be the best puck-mover of the three, though there’s an argument that Andrae was better at it last season. Myers, by contrast, is the least effective puck-mover and skater among the trio. What he does bring is size: at 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, he is much bigger than Stecher and Andrae.
Toronto could still sort this out late in training camp, or even by moving one of the defensemen before opening night. Depth players get traded all the time, especially when injuries start to shake things loose. The return might only be a late pick or a prospect, but that’s still better than losing somebody for free.
For now, the Leafs have created a problem that good teams often make for themselves. They improved the blue line, but in the process they’ve forced a decision that could cost them a useful NHL defenseman if they don’t handle it carefully.
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