It’s “snot” season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to general manager (GM) Brad Treliving. He has made some moves that most, if not all, of Leafs Nation love. He started off free agency by signing Ryan Reaves, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi, all of which provide a lot of toughness and grit to the lineup. He also brought in John Klingberg on the backend, who has been known to have a short fuse but isn’t quite like the other three. This is the one thing that the team seems to lack; grit on the blue line. Now that Luke Schenn has departed and signed with the Nashville Predators, a big hole must be filled, but by who?
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Well, that is what we are going to look at throughout this article. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options on the open market at this time, so Treliving will need to get creative and make a few moves to acquire a defensive defenseman. But first, he will need to start by moving some money off the books to help them stay within the 10 percent overage of the cap that is allowed to be used during the offseason. Now we’ll examine how Treliving and the Maple Leafs can clear cap space to strengthen their blue line.
Move on From Murray & Timmins
These moves shouldn’t come as a shock to any member of Leafs Nation. Both Matt Murray and Conor Timmins were former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas’ guys, and since he is gone, they should be as well. The hope is that Treliving will find a way to get rid of both Murray and Timmins’ contracts and allocate their cap space to the blue line. Unfortunately, trading Murray may be a more difficult task since the Maple Leafs most likely don’t want to package him with a first-rounder to free up his cap space. This means the best option is through a buyout. However, the club will still be on the hook for a portion of his salary, only being able to free up around 67 percent ($2.6 million) of his total salary.
As for Timmins, he is signed for two years with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.1 million. Although it isn’t a lot of money, that could go towards acquiring another defenseman and pushing Mark Giordano down the lineup. Now, some would think that if Dubas liked him so much that he would acquire him and then sign him to an extension, he may still be interested. This is exactly who Treliving should call; Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Offer him Timmins for a draft pick to clear the cap off of the books. If he doesn’t go for it, then call around to the other 31 NHL teams to see what the interest level is. If there are no takers, his cap hit can easily be buried in the minors with the Toronto Marlies.
Trade for Zadorov
Nikita Zadorov has been a name that members of the Maple Leafs’ fan base have wanted for years. He provides a physical element that is considered old-school; he loves to step up at the blue line and catch opponents with their heads down. He also enjoys engaging after the whistle in front of his goalie, making it known that he isn’t going to let the other team get to his netminder as long as he is on the ice. Being a left-handed shot, he can replace Giordano as the everyday defenseman on the third pairing, which can allow Giordano to rest and take on more of a veteran role similar to what players like Wayne Simmonds and Jason Spezza did in their final year with the club. Zadorov seems like a perfect fit for the Maple Leafs, and his familiarity with Treliving could make him a top priority. Treliving did describe his offseason as adding “snot”, and this big blueliner provides just that.
The other benefit is that the asking price isn’t going to be astronomical. He is a depth defenseman on the Calgary Flames, who look to be heading into a retool, so this could be the perfect time to strike a deal with them. The package that I would offer to the Flames is a 2024 third-round pick, a 2026 seventh-round pick, and Alberta native Bobby McMann. This package makes sense because the Flames appear to be giving more of their younger talents NHL opportunities, which they get with McMann. Although he is 27, he is ready to take the step to the next level and be a bottom-six player for an NHL team. The two draft picks give them more draft capital to restock their prospect pool for the future. As for the Maple Leafs, Zadorov brings the physical element that they need on the backend; he had 174 hits and 75 blocks last season. As a third-pairing guy who can kill penalties and start shifts in the defensive zone, he is worth the price.
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If Treliving and the Maple Leafs were able to complete all of these moves, their blue line would be much better than it is right now. Zadorov isn’t a superstar in the NHL, but he knows his role and plays it well. Adding him also allows the backend to be more well-rounded with the pairings of Morgan Rielly with T.J. Brodie, Jake McCabe with Klingberg, and Zadorov with Timothy Liljegren. Essentially, every pairing has an offensive and a defensive player on it, which can help during rushes as well as when the backend pinches up on plays.
Last but not least, Zadorov’s addition enables the Leafs to play even bigger because they now have four additional players who will do anything for their teammates.
