The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to Dougie Hamilton, as Toronto could look to upgrade its blue line.
Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquire Hamilton in a blockbuster deal with the New Jersey Devils.
Maple Leafs acquire:
Devils acquire:
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto would acquire Hamilton to solidify their blue line, for a good NHL defenseman, a depth forward, and a defenseman prospect.
The Maple Leafs would acquire Hamilton, who would add some much-needed offense to the blue line, which was an issue last season. Hamilton has three years left on his seven-year, $63 million deal. Hamilton recorded 9 goals and 31 assists for 40 points in 64 games.
In return, the Maple Leafs would give up Ekman-Larsson, who has three years left on his four-year, $14 million deal. Ekman-Larsson would help the Devils replace Hamilton’s offense and keep New Jersey competitive next season. Ekman-Larsson recorded 4 goals and 25 for 29 points in 77 games.
Toronto would also trade Jarnkrok to make the salaries work, as his name has come up in trade talks. But, with the Devils, Jarnkrok could be a bottom-six forward.
New Jersey would also acquire Webber, who’s a 24-year-old defenseman prospect. He played in the AHL last season and could push for playing time this season in the NHL.
Maple Leafs Have Shown Interest in Hamilton
Hamilton’s name has come up in trade talks, and the Maple Leafs have shown interest in him.
New Jersey is looking to move on from Hamilton, as his role with the team has been diminished with the rise of the young defenseman. With that, his name has come up in trade rumors, and an NHL executive told NHL insider James Murphy of RG.org that the Maple Leafs have shown interest in the star defenseman.
“Teams are calling on [Hamilton] now,” an NHL executive source told RG media. “I heard the Leafs looked into him. They’re looking into multiple options for their blue line, and a lot of them have offensive flair. That’s their strength, so there’s a common thread with their trade targets right now, and Hamilton fits the bill.”
Hamilton would be a top-four defenseman for the Maple Leafs and add some more offense to the back end of the blue line, which is a need.
Maple Leafs GM Likes Makeup of Current Defense
Since taking over as the Maple Leafs’ general manager, Brad Treliving has done a good job of rebuilding the defense.
Toronto has focused on making its defense bigger and tougher to play against, which they have done. Although there have been rumors that Toronto could make some changes, Treliving said he likes the blue line.
“In today’s game, I like the length of our defense, I like the makeup of our defense. We’ve still got to be able to get out of our own end,” Treliving said. “There are things we can do in terms of closing quicker and taking away space… We need to get more offense from our defense. But in terms of personnel, we’ll see. I like the D-corps, but we can’t be rigid.”
The Maple Leafs have seven defenseman under contract.
Trade Pitch Sees Maple Leafs Acquiring $63M Defenseman in Blockbuster