Toronto Maple Leafs Could Target Bigger Blueline Upgrades This Off-Season
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving attempted to shore up his defense corps for the playoffs before the recent NHL trade deadline. Despite his rumored interest in such notables as Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, salary cap limitations forced him to settle for more affordable options like Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin. Treliving is now focused on the upcoming post-season. However, he could be in the market for blueline upgrades during the off-season. PuckPedia indicates the Leafs have $20.7 million in projected cap space for 2024-25, with 14 active roster players under contract. Some of that will be used to add one or two skilled defensemen.
Edmundson, Lyubushkin and fellow defenseman TJ Brodie are slated to become UFAs this summer and probably won’t return. Aging Mark Giordano, sidelined John Klingberg and all-but-retired Jake Muzzin also come off the books.
Treliving knew Hanifin and Tanev during his tenure as their GM with the Calgary Flames. He could try to interest one of them to come to Toronto as free agents. Treliving could also revisit his interest in Nikita Zadorov, who he reportedly tried to acquire last November before the Flames shipped the rugged blueliner to the Vancouver Canucks. Like Hanifin and Tanev, Zadorov is UFA-eligible on July 1. Brett Pesce could be another UFA option. The 29-year-old Carolina Hurricanes defender is completing a six-year deal with an average annual value of $4.025 million. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox believes the Leafs will be lining up with other clubs if Pesce hits the open market. Brandon Montour could be available if he and the Florida Panthers fail to agree on a new contract by July 1. He earned a cap hit of $3.5 million on his three-year contract with an actual salary of $5.25 million this season.
