The Toronto Maple Leafs decided to bring in Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-way trade involving the Carolina Hurricanes after they missed out on one of the top defencemen available in Chris Tanev, who was sent to the Dallas Stars. While the Maple Leafs are acquiring him at 75% retention, he isn’t the most ideal pickup for them, and they will still need to make a defensive upgrade if they want any chance of going deep into the playoffs this season. Tanev would have been the ideal pickup, and players like Matt Dumba, Zach Bogosian, and Noah Hanifiin are still available heading toward the trade deadline, so the Maple Leafs need to try and make another trade soon.
As seen in the above graphic, Lyubushkin is not a great player by any means. He lacks any actual offensive ability and seems to be a liability in his own zone. Perhaps he can improve in a lesser role with the Maple Leafs as their seventh defender. However, this trade does not look good for them on paper at all, and they’re lucky they didn’t give up much at all for him, but this might hurt them more than it benefits them.
Related: 3 Potential Trade Destinations for Maple Leafs’ Nick Robertson
If you’re not someone who believes in advanced analytics either, it doesn’t take much of an eye test to see he isn’t helping his team. With the Ducks this season before the trade, Lyubushkin was a problem at both ends of the ice. He isn’t confident with the puck on his stick, finds himself out of position quite a bit, and when he chooses to pinch, he often can’t get back into the play fast enough. Luckily, the Maple Leafs have time to fix their mistake and fill out their defensive depth more before the trade deadline.
Who Is Still Available?
The biggest name still on the market is Calgary Flames’ defender Hanifin, who should be someone the Maple Leafs are interested in acquiring. He is a 27-year-old left-shot defenceman who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 216 pounds. He was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes at fifth overall. This season, he has scored 11 goals and added 23 assists for 34 points through 59 games. Through 657 games in his career, he has scored 60 goals and added 213 assists for 273 points, which comes out to a 0.42 points-per-game average. He is a strong two-way defender who would likely only be a rental but would be a huge help for the Maple Leafs.
Another big name on the market is Dumba, who currently plays for the Arizona Coyotes. He is a 29-year-old right-shot defender who stands 6 feet, 181 pounds, and was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at seventh overall by the Minnesota Wild. This season with the Coyotes, he has scored four goals and added five assists for nine points through 55 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 83 goals and added 162 assists for 245 points through 653 games which comes out to a 0.38 points-per-game average. He isn’t the most offensive defender by any means, but he is a physical two-way defender who could be an upgrade on the Maple Leafs’ blue line.
The Philadelphia Flyers have a pair of defenders who could be of interest to the Maple Leafs: Nick Seeler and Sean Walker. Walker is a 29-year-old right-shot defender from Keswick, Ontario, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 196 pounds. This season, he has scored six goals and added 16 assists for 22 points through 60 games. Seeler is a 30-year-old left-shot defender who stands 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild at 131st overall. This season, he has scored one goal and added 10 assists for 11 points. Both of them are solid shutdown defensive options and would easily be able to stabilize the blue line should they join the Maple Leafs.
The last option we will look at is Bogosian, who is 33 years old and stands 6-foot-2, 223 pounds. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers at third overall. This season, he played four games with the Tampa Bay Lightning before being traded to the Wild, where he has played 41 games and scored one goal with eight assists for nine points. As a veteran with 828 games under his belt, he has scored 58 goals and added 164 assists for 222 points, which comes out to a 0.27 points-per-game average. He has established himself as a shutdown depth defender, which is exactly what the Maple Leafs need.
As we compare Tanev to every defender I have listed above, none of them are better than Tanev. The package for Tanev was only a prospect, a second-round pick, and a third-round pick. With that in mind, it would be logical to think anyone I listed above would bring back a larger return than that. Realistically, it shouldn’t take much more than a third-round pick and a prospect to bring in any of Seeler, Walker, Hanifin, Dumba, or Bogosian.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs are back in action Saturday (March 2) in a matchup against the red-hot New York Rangers, where Lyubushkin is expected to make his debut. Hopefully, the Maple Leafs get active on the trade front and make a trade for another defenceman who can help take them deep into the postseason because, right now, their current defensive core is worrisome.
