The Toronto Maple Leafs need defensemen. So do many NHL teams, but the Buds now have the cap space to go out and trade for one or two blueliners. Rumors have linked them to names like Calgary’s Nikita Zadorov, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, but there are more D-men who could be moved by their current teams. Let’s take a look at a few other players Leafs GM Brad Treliving could target in the days and weeks to come.
1. Sean Walker, Philadelphia
The upstart Flyers have been very pleased with the play of Walker, who came over from the L.A. Kings in a trade in the summer. The 29-year-old is a right-shot defenseman averaging 21:16 of ice time with Philly this season, and although he’s not physically imposing at 5-foot-11, Walker is affordable – his salary cap hit of $2.65 million would be a fit for the Leafs – and he could be a pure rental player, as he’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Walker isn’t an offensive dynamo, but with seven assists and 10 points in 21 games this season, he’s almost matched his output of 10 assists and 13 points in 70 games with the Kings last year. He won’t cost a team a boatload of assets, but if the Leafs intend on keeping him beyond this season, they may be more willing to step up and acquire him by (or, more likely, before) the trade deadline.
2. Matt Dumba, Arizona
Many thought Dumba would’ve been among the most coveted defensemen on the UFA market last summer, but that didn’t happen, and the 29-year-old wound up signing a one-year, $3.9-million deal with the Coyotes. Another right-shot blueliner, he’s averaged 20:14 of ice time in 19 games, and we don’t see him signing a long-term extension to remain in Arizona, so ‘Yotes GM Bill Armstrong will be dangling Dumba in trade talks if he hasn’t done so already.
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Dumba’s offense has all but disappeared in recent years – it’s hard to believe he had a 36-assist, 50-point season back in the 2017-18 campaign – but on a Maple Leafs team far better than the Coyotes, he could become a 30-point-producer again. Arizona won’t be asking for a huge haul in any trade, but Dumba could be a decent depth addition for a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
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3. Ryan McDonagh, Nashville
We’ll be the first to tell you this is the longest shot of the three players on this list, especially now that the Predators are in the midst of a hot streak and aiming to lock down a playoff berth. In addition, McDonagh’s advanced age (34) and pricey contract status ($6.75 million cap hit through the 2025-26 season) make him much harder to swing a deal for. But if Treliving wants a veteran with a championship pedigree, he could do much worse than McDonagh. The 34-year-old has a no-trade clause in his contract, but he’s already waived it once to come to Nashville, so it’s possible he waives it again.
McDonagh is no longer in his prime, but he has averaged 20:11 per game this year, and as a second-pair D-man, he’d be an improvement on what the Leafs have in that spot at this time. The Leafs would have to move out some money to make a deal fit under the cap, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Playing for Toronto could be the last, best shot at a Cup win for McDonagh, and that may be the deciding factor in getting a deal done for him.