The Toronto Maple Leafs have been performing exceptionally well lately; their momentum seems to have been ignited by the five-game suspension of Morgan Rielly. In his absence, the team went 5-0 and looked like a brand-new team. Before the suspension was announced, there was some anxiety among Maple Leafs fans because they would lose their team’s top defenceman for an uncertain amount of time. However, they battled, overcame the adversity, and played extremely well. This personally means that Brad Treliving should reward the club.
There has been a ton of speculation about Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames as the team’s top defenceman target. This makes sense; Treliving was the Flames’ general manager (GM), so the familiarity is there. But that comes with the risk of not being able to re-sign him. Should Treliving give up assets for a potential rental? Most people in Leafs Nation would say no. I would have to agree, but if they do, I’d suggest giving up less to bring in the most talented defenceman you can. The Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes make sense as trade partners at or before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on Mar. 8, 2024. Let’s go over a few players on the Coyotes that make sense for Toronto.
Josh Brown
Josh Brown is a player that I have been clamoring for for the last few seasons. He may not be the biggest household name or any more than a bottom-pairing defenceman, but he would bring a similar style of play to fan favorite Simon Benoit. Which would be useful to the Maple Leafs. When they lost Luke Schenn to the Nashville Predators in free agency, the gritty, physical defenceman was missing once again. Well, this season, Benot has stepped into that role and has played it very well. They need to acquire another player who can hit, block shots, play on the penalty kill, and isn’t afraid to fight, and that would be Brown. Treliving has been known to build a very solid defense core, so it wouldn’t be overly shocking if they haven’t already scouted him.
So far this season, Brown has had 53 hits and 53 blocks in 31 games. He hasn’t been a mainstay in the Coyotes’ lineup, but when he plays, he throws the body and gets into shooting lanes. The Maple Leafs fans know that you need physicality and grit when it comes to the playoffs; it is how the game is played, but it also provides your team energy throughout a series. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Brown can bring that to the lineup, especially since Toronto’s line is fairly weak after the first two pairs. Jake McCabe is paired with Benoit, T.J. Brodie, and Timothy Liljegren, who have turned their seasons around since being paired together. This leaves Morgan Rielly without a regular partner, Mark Giordano, who has declined in play this season and is away from the team due to his father’s death. Then there is the depth defense of William Lagesson and Max Lajoie, which has been good but doesn’t bring a ton of toughness.
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Brown could slot in as the seventh blue-liner who could find himself as a last-pairing regular in the postseason because of his style of play. The ask for Brown wouldn’t be a lot, either. I checked in with Haynes Evans of the Coyotes writing team at the Hockey Writers, and he confirmed that the ask wouldn’t be high. Evans believes that the trade that could acquire Brown from Arizona is Lagesson and a 2024 seventh-round draft choice. Brown would then take Lagesson’s spot on the roster as the seventh defender, and the seventh-round pick is expendable.
Matt Dumba
Matt Dumba is yet another player that I feel the Maple Leafs should have targeted in the past. They had a chance this offseason but decided to go with John Klingberg, who was later ruled out for the remainder of the season with a hip injury. Well, the door isn’t closed for them to acquire Dumba; he signed a one-year deal with the Coyotes and will be traded at the deadline. He is the player that comes to mind when you think about what was said earlier in this article: “I’d suggest giving up less to bring in the most talented defenceman you can.” Dumba may not bring all the bells and whistles that Tanev does, but he does most of them fairly well. Plus, he is also a right-handed shot, meaning that he could play alongside Rielly and finally give him a partner who could potentially re-sign.
The 29-year-old would also bring the physical aspect the Maple Leafs blue line could use. In 52 games, he has 78 blocks and 134 hits, an average of two and a half hits per game. His 134 hits are just two off his career high (136), which happened in 2017-18, where he appeared in all 82 games. He is on pace for 211 hits on the season, which is a huge amount and would have him near the top of the NHL. Dumba also has a history of putting some points on the board; during that 2017-18 season, he had a career-high 50 points, but since then, he has been in the range of 20–30. So far this season, he has nine points, but he is on a new team and system and may not be used as much as he has been in the past with the Minnesota Wild.
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In terms of a trade that would make sense, once again, I talked with Evans of the Coyotes writing team, and he suggested that the asking price may not be as high as many would think. He said that he thought Dumba may go for a third-round pick, depending on salary retention. His current cap hit is $3.9 million for the remainder of the season; the Maple Leafs only have $2.1 million in deadline cap space. That will change when Joseph Woll returns from his conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). This means the Coyotes will need to retain, or the Maple Leafs will need to give up a roster player or find a third-party broker.
Toronto Maple Leafs Receive: Matt Dumba (50% retained) & 2025 Sixth Round Pick (CHI)
Arizona Coyotes Receive 2024 Third Round Pick (NYI), 2025 Sixth Round Pick (TOR) & 25% of Dumba’s Cap Hit ($975,000)
Chicago Blackhawks Receive: Conor Timmins & 25% of Dumba’s Cap Hit ($975,000)
To make this work, I’d suggest the Maple Leafs move Conor Timmins in this deal, who is signed to a $1.1 million contract for the remainder of this season and next. However, not to the Coyotes, since he started his career there. The trade would break down, as you see above. This gives Timmons the chance to play as an everyday defenceman and gets his $1.1 million cap hit off the books for the Maple Leafs. Lastly, it also reduces Dumba’s cap hit to $1.9 million, which can easily fit the Maple Leafs. Treliving should then offer Dumba a contract extension worth $3.5 million for three seasons, eliminating this rental status and giving Rielly a partner for the next three seasons.
The Maple Leafs need a right-handed defenceman to play alongside Rielly, and Dumba does that. They also need another big-bodied depth defenceman, and Brown can be that. Does it not make perfect sense for these teams to connect on a deadline deal? It also doesn’t shake up the team’s chemistry a ton, which is huge, especially with the Maple Leafs having been rolling.
