The Toronto Maple Leafs could make an intriguing move on defense.
The Maple Leafs have nine NHL-caliber defenseman, but have been linked to signing top free agent Matt Grzelcyk. Grzelcyk is a good puck-moving defenseman, which Toronto could use.
NHL insider James Mirtle of The Athletic believes the Maple Leafs could trade away a defenseman.
“The other thing is the Leafs have six pretty solid established NHL D right now in Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly, Carlo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Simon Benoit,” Mirtle wrote. “They’d like to somehow get another puck mover back there. Which would mean moving one of the more defensive types out.
Part of the reason they got hemmed in against the Panthers in the playoffs was their inability to handle Florida’s forecheck. That comes back to the Leafs’ struggles breaking out, moving the puck and maintaining pressure in the offensive zone. Treliving and Berube have to solve that somehow, or they’ll just be hoping to get luckier next spring,” Mirtle added.
Carlo would be the logical defenseman to be moved out, as his name has come up in trade rumors all offseason.
However, adding another defenseman like Grzelcyk would be a bit of a surprise for the Maple Leafs. But if Toronto signs him to a PTO or a cheap deal, it could be worth the gamble.
Maple Leafs Likely to Make Another Move
Training camp is set to open in the coming weeks, but the Maple Leafs roster may not be set.
Mirtle believes the Maple Leafs are also looking to add another forward to bolster their top-six.
“The front office is still looking for that upgrade up front. I don’t expect Matias Maccelli, Roy, and Dakota Joshua to be it for forward adds, especially considering at least two of them should be in the bottom six. And the biggest reasons Carlo could go the other way: Toronto doesn’t have a lot else to trade, and a huge RD has a lot of value for other teams,” Mirtle wrote.
Toronto has been linked to adding Jack Roslovic, who could play a top-six role. But the Maple Leafs would likely have to trade away a forward or two, like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and Nick Robertson.
Maple Leafs Linked to Trading Carlo
Carlo’s name has come up in trade rumors, as Toronto could move him for a forward.
The Maple Leafs made a big move to acquire Carlo at the trade deadline. But his name is already back in trade rumors. NHL insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet has had Carlo on the trade bait list all offseason.
“It may be hard to believe the Leafs would trade away Carlo so soon after paying a steep price to acquire him,” Kypreos wrote. “But the fact is Toronto doesn’t have many assets to make a deal with. Right-shot, minute-munching defensemen will always have a market in the NHL. So Carlo is the one trade chip that could command a lot of attention. He could be part of a deal that adds some scoring to the forward group as they recover from the loss of Mitch Marner.”
Carlo is entering the fifth year of his six-year, $24.6 million deal.
Insider Links Maple Leafs to Making Intriguing Defenseman Swap