3 Maple Leafs Defense Targets After Zadorov Trade
It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs are in dire need of help on the blueline with their questionable play and injuries piling up. They were in the mix for Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Though, he was eventually dealt to the Vancouver Canucks as they had the space to take on Zadorov’s contract.
During Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Maple Leafs couldn’t get a deal done that would allow the Flames to retain salary on not just Zadorov, but with Chris Tanev as well. Friedman also reports that they still remain involved in trying to acquire Tanev, a physical, shut down defender that could be a great asset in the top-four.
With Tanev being the main target as he checks off a lot of what the Maple Leafs need in a defenseman, there are still some intriguing options that general manager Brad Treliving could look at as potential fits to their backend. Here are three other defenders that could potentially be good additions.
Brett Pesce, Carolina Hurricanes
For some time now, many in Leafs Nation have always loved the idea of bringing in Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce. It makes sense as he’s the steady, two-way defender the Maple Leafs desperately need more of.
Even though Pesce wants to stay with the Hurricanes, an extension has yet to happen, making the possibility of trading him becoming likely if they still can’t come to an agreement. While the Maple Leafs are dealing with salary cap constraints, the future of John Klingberg doesn’t sound too promising. On 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Friedman expects that he could be done for the season (time: 12:10). If he gets placed on long term injured reserve, his $4.15 million contract would open things up to try and acquire Pesce and his slightly cheaper $4.025 million cap hit. It’s been suggested that the Maple Leafs could be involved as well.
Pesce has always been a two-way force for the Hurricanes. He constantly earns important minutes and goes up against tough competition in a shutdown role while still being a factor offensively with his breakout passing and mobility. He has always been productive against elite level competition as his goals for percentage from the last three seasons at PuckIQ shows.
