The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the market for a defenseman. That’s yesterday’s news.
However, the prevailing narrative has been that Toronto wants to find a younger blueliner who could be more of a long-term solution.
Hence, the chatter linking the Maple Leafs to Simon Edvinsson made sense.
But according to insider Frank Seravalli, that may not be the case anymore. In a column for Sportsnet on Thursday, the notable insider discussed how the Leafs have pivoted their attention to a veteran defenseman.
“GM John Chayka continues to work the market for a veteran, cost-controlled defenceman to add to the Maple Leafs. They want a player already locked in at a great rate and are open to re-imagining their roster to do it.”
That statement seems like wishful thinking at this point.
First of all, let’s define “veteran” defenseman. Typically, a veteran is a player hovering around 30, and up. If that’s the target, there are few blueliners of that ilk inked to favorable deals who could be on the move.
Unless a guy like Hampus Lindholm of the Boston Bruins, Damon Severson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, or MacKenzie Weegar of the Utah Mammoth suddenly became available, that’s something very hard to do.
The most the Maple Leafs could really hope for is landing a guy on an expiring deal with the hope of extending him at a favorable rate. That, given the circumstances, is a pipe dream.
Maple Leafs Willing to Re-Imagine the Roster
All right, so what exactly does “re-imagine” mean?
There’s no question that John Chayka will need some major roster surgery to make anything meaningful happen. That situation means having to move various pieces and contracts to clear up enough cap space, not this season, but next, in order to pull something off.
If the problem was only this season.
The issue is the tagging room rule that’s got the Maple Leafs in a pickle. The Leafs cannot add anyone with a contract beyond this season. That’s going to be very tough for Toronto, unless someone with a long-term deal heads out the door.
Without getting too much into the weeds, the big question here will be who the Leafs can jettison in order to make such a deal happen. There are various anchors that just won’t be easy to move. And that’s another reason why adding this veteran blueliner is naught more than wishful thinking.
Toronto Won’t Be Able to Get Much Done
Ultimately, the Maple Leafs won’t be able to get much done unless something really changes. Perhaps there’s a team out there that waives the white flag sooner than expected. That may open up an opportunity for Toronto to find a player they want.
Perhaps there’s another team out there that looks at their current and future situations and figures they need to re-imagine their roster as well.
Whatever the case, John Chayka won’t be able to get away with much. And that’s too bad because the Maple Leafs could really use some reinforcements throughout the lineup. They may come, but it might be too late when they do.
Maple Leafs Veteran Defenseman Dream May Be Wishful Thinking