As we are at the All-Star break, it is getting a lot closer to the NHL trade deadline, which is later this year than usual with the date of Monday, March 21. The Toronto Maple Leafs have played 42 games this season and currently sit third in the Atlantic division, Tampa Bay and Florida are ahead and have played more games.

So far this season the Maple Leafs have been doing well offensively and between the pipes with Jack Campbell having a career year, Petr Mrazek has been injured a bit but has not looked bad when called upon for the most part, and Justin Woll had stepped in and looked like he is going to be a future star in the NHL. Michael Hutchenson also stepped in and looked ok in the 2 games he had to play as well. The only issue the Maple Leafs will need to sure up at the deadline would be their defense, mostly on the right side.

The top pairing for the Maple Leafs is all but set in stone with Morgan Reilly and T.J. Brodie head and shoulders above everyone else on the defence core. Jake Muzzin is the usual 2nd pair left defenceman but he is currently out with a concussion. The bottom 4 parings are currently Rasmus Sandin with Justin Holl and Travis Dermott with Timothy Liljegren. Both Dermott and Holl have not had the best of years this season and Kyle Dubas should be looking at an upgrade on the defence core, so let’s take a look at some potential fits for the Maple Leafs.

Josh Manson

Josh is a 6’3″ 224-pound 30 years right-shot defenceman. He currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks, who very well may make the playoffs this season but are not likely to advance past the first round, and has a salary cap hit of $4.1 Million. Josh will become a Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) at the end of the season. He is a physical presence on the defensive side of the game. He likes to use his size to his advantage to frustrate the attacking players entering the attacking zone. He is mostly a defensive defenceman but can pitch in offensively if needed. His father played 1103 games in the NHL from 1986-2002, including playing 87 games for the Maple Leafs in the 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons. Josh might not be as much of a physical presence as his father was, but his father would probably not have as long of a career in the NHL if he would played in the post-2004/05 lockout NHL. It has also been reported that Toronto is on Josh Manson’s 12 teams no-trade list, which probably includes all 7 Canadian teams and Buffalo, but it would not be the first time that a player has had a team on that list and then agreed to waive that in order to be traded to one of those teams. Josh Manson would be an amazing fit on the defence of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second pair with Jake Muzzin, and they would be hard to play against too.

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John Klingberg

John is a 6’3″ 190-pound 29 years old right-shot defenceman for the Dallas Stars. He is another pending UFA after the season with a cap hit of $4.25 Million. He is an offensive defenceman who has a great shot from the point. He would be an asset to any team in the league and would probably quarterback the 2nd powerplay unit in Toronto. He is a smooth skater with great offensive instincts. His passing ability sets him apart from a vast majority of defencemen in the NHL. He sometimes can struggle defensively but if he is paired with a solid defensive player he should excel anywhere. HIs offensive number this season are not the greatest but a change of scenery should benefit him and start putting up points again.

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Noah Dobson

Noah is a 22 years old right-shot defenceman from the New York Islanders with a current cap hit of $894,167. He will become a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) at the end of the season. He is an exceptionally great skater and can log big minutes in almost any kind of role you need him in. His shot from the point is very good and has great hockey sense and can make the right play to help his team no matter what it is. He will need to add some bulk in order to become a better shut-down type defenceman but at only 22 years old that will come as he ages. The upside he has is the major reason anyteam in the league should want him. I doubt that Lou Lamoriello would be willing to part with this young defenceman but if the right deal came along, like the Maple Leafs first round pick this season and some prospects like Nick Robertson possibly Justin Holl or Travis Dermott, Lou may be willing to listen to offers on this young future star in the league.

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Scott Mayfield

Scott is a 6’5″ 220-pound right shot defenceman who is 29 years old. He also currently plays for the New York Islanders where he has a current cap hit of $1.45 Million and is undercontract until the end of the 2022/23 season when he will become a UFA. He is a fiesty stay-at-home type defenceman who excels in his own zone. He has lots of size to help with a physical style of play. He is not the type of player that will put up big numbers offensively but he does have a good shot when needed. He would be an asset to the current roster and could possibly slide in on the bottom pairing with Rasmus Sandin. If Lou is going to move someone at the deadline I believe Scott will be the one he moves and can ask for more because he does have another year under contract at a very reasonable cap hit that anyteam would be willing to have. His speed is not the greatest and can be beat on the outside but if he’s in more of a defensive style he could overcome that easily.

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Andrew Peeke

Andrew is a 6’3″ 196-pound righ shot defenceman who is 23 years old. He currently is playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets where he signed until the end of the 2022/23 season with a cap hit of $787,500. After the 2022/23 season he will become a RFA with arbitration rights. Andrew is a shutdown style defenceman with size and strength to go with it. He is a good skater and also has the ability to pitch in offensively but putting up points when needed. He is a primarily stay-at-home defender so his offensive numbers are not the greatest but he has the ability to improve on that. He could benefit by playing a more physical style of play but at 23 years old he should improve on that in the next season or so. He has lots of upside that would be worth giving up some assets to improve your team not just this season but also in the future.

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Damon Severson

Damon is a 6’2″ 205-pound right shot defenceman who is 24 years old. He currently plays for the New Jersey Devils with a current cap hit of $4.1 Million and is signed until the end of the 2022/23 season when he will become a UFA. I know what you are thinking, “Isn’t he the guy that looked bad when the Maple Leafs last played the Devils?” To answer your question it’s yes, but show me who didn’t look bad on New Jersey in that game. Damon is an all around type of defender who has a great shot. He could be the quarterback on the second powerplay unit aswell. He also does play a physical type of game. He is a lot like a Jake Gardiner kind of player but with the right defensive partner and in the right system he will excel and his cap hit would look like a bargain. He is definitely worth the risk as I do believe he is a better player than Jake Gardiner ever was.

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Jakob Chychrun

Jakob is a 6’2″ 210-pound left shot defenceman. He currently plays for the Arizona Coyotes where he is signed until the end of the 2024/25 season with a cap hit of $4.6 MIllion. Jakob is tremoundsly talented and can play all roles. He regularly produces points thanks to his booming shot, plays a strong physical style because of his size. He can also log big minutes and play in all roles that are needed. Defensively he needs to make his play more consistent but the upside vastly out weighs those concerns. Arizona, or wherever they will play beyond this season, probably sees him as a major part of the team in the future but with their recent struggles and not sure where they will be located after this season, it makes sense to move this player for whatever kind of assets you can get. Jakob will be one of the saught after playersif the Coyotes do indeed make him available to teams to trade for.

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Jamie Oleksiak

Jamie is a 6’7″ 255-pound left-shot defenceman. He currently plays for the Seattle Kraken where he is signed until the end of the 2025/26 season with a cap hit of $4.6 Million. At his size it should be no surprise that he is a strong physical defenceman that not many people want to go up against. He is also a great skater who has with strong shutdown instincts. He will not put the points up that others might but he is a presence on the back end that would help any team. He is currently on the injured reserve and I also believe that Seattle sees him as a guy who will remain in the organization for a long time but it would definitely be worth the call to Ron Francis and see if he is willing to move the big defenceman. He is a guy that I wish the Leafs would have picked up years ago and would look good in his hometown Blue & White.

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There are some darkhorse defenceman that I could see as potential fits but they would be long shots. These players are Ben Chiarot of the Montreal Canadiens, Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks, Mark Giordano of the Seattle Kraken and Calvin de Haan of the Chicago Blackhawks. There are also some forwards like Tomas Hertl of San Jose, Phil Kessel of the Arizona Coyotes, Calle Jarnkrok of the Seattle Kraken, J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks, Jake DeBrusk of the Boston Bruins and Reilly Smith of the Vegas Golden Knights. As much as any of these forwards would be nice, the Maple Leafs are pretty solid at that end of the ice currently and don’t need to improve on that this trade deadline.

Kyle Dubas will be busy between now and the trade deadline I am sure but I really hope he is able to sure up the defence of the team and go on a long run this spring into the summer.

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NHL standings from NHL.com
Salary cap information from Capfriendly.com
All tables from hockey-refrence.com