I have looked at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top and bottom six in my most recent articles, now it’s time to turn our attention to the team’s defensive core. The team made moves at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline to bring in more defensive-minded players, such as Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn. McCabe is signed for the next two seasons, and Schenn is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) as of July 1, 2023.
The expectation is that Schenn will be re-signed by the team to play alongside Morgan Rielly, which had success in the postseason. As for McCabe, he seemed to struggle in his short time with the team but should be able to play more consistently when he has an entire season with the club under his belt.
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The Maple Leafs also have two other UFAs: Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson. Gustafsson could be interesting as he was a useful asset to the backend he and Timothy Liljegren could make a good pair together. As for Holl, his time with the club has likely come to an end. He has had a love-hate relationship with Leafs Nation, and all signs point to him looking for a fresh start.
Mark Giordano has also had some buzz. Although he hasn’t made a retirement announcement, it shouldn’t be ruled out. That leaves Rielly, TJ Brodie, Liljegren and McCabe as players we can likely be sure are returning. Here’s a look at some options that will be available as of July 1, 2023 to fill the holes in the lineup.
Radko Gudas
Radko Gudas is a perfect match for the Maple Leafs. He ranked second to Schenn with 312 hits this season. Leafs Nation is familiar with what he can bring to a game after the team’s second-round series loss to the Florida Panthers. He was the driving force that led to the series winner by Nick Cousins, as well as the Panther who was screaming in Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll’s face after the goal went in.
Gudas is the type of player that every fanbase hates until he’s on their team. He brings a very strong physical element, which a team can’t have enough of, especially when the star core tends to lack physicality.
Gudas is a right-handed defender who could find a home alongside McCabe or Brodie. Both players are left-handed, two-way players, which could work well with a shutdown defenceman like Gudas. The goal for the Maple Leafs is to be extremely hard to play against, and having both Schenn and Gudas on the backend would make life very tough for opponents.
In terms of contract, the Maple Leafs should offer Gudas somewhere around a $2.75 million per season for two years.
Michael Stone
Michael Stone would be a good bottom-pairing addition. He has a strong relationship with the team’s new general manager, Brad Treliving. Treliving has brought Stone with him since their days with the Arizona Coyotes in 2011 when he started his career. They reunited in Calgary with the Flames, and now Treliving could bring Stone to Toronto, especially as a free agent.
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Stone doesn’t offer a lot of offensive upsides, but he can be a big-body presence who blocks shots and clears the front of the net. In 48 games with the Flames this season, he had 59 blocks and 54 hits, which is solid for a sixth or seventh defence. As for Stone’s contract, it should be for the league minimum, $750K for a season, and he can be pencilled in for around 40-50 games.
Matt Dumba
Matt Dumba could be the perfect replacement for Holl. He likes to get into shooting lanes and block shots, as well as throw his body around. He can be pencilled in for around 100 hits and blocks in a season and still take on a good portion of ice time against the opposition’s best on a nightly basis, which is a nice asset to have on the backend.
Dumba has averaged 20:37 of ice time in his career, and on the Maple Leafs would most likely see 20:00-21:00 minutes per night. He would also be expected to replace Holl on the penalty kill (PK) alongside Schenn, Brodie and McCabe. Together, they could be a very reliable defensive unit.
Dumba is coming off the worst season of his career, with 14 points in 79 games. He is also coming off of a contract that paid him $6 million per season for five years, which could be considered an overpayment by the end. Due to this, Toronto should offer him $8 million over two seasons, with an AVV of $4 million per season.
Treliving is expected to make changes ahead of next season. The Maple Leafs have so many UFAs that it seems there will at least be a handful of new players. Leafs Nation will see new forwards, defence and potentially even a new goalie and f Treliving’s time with the Flames is any inclination, Toronto should be a rough-and-tough team to play against next season.
