Okay, let me get the elephant out of the room right away: the Leafs would be better suited to go after a defenseman than a forward at the deadline, and if they are only able to get one of the two, the defenseman is the higher priority.
Part of that comes from the fact that there are a lot of question marks on that Leafs blueline beyond Morgan Rielly and @T.J. Brodie. Jake Muzzin is starting to see his game fall off due to age and injuries, which in turn has seen Justin Holl struggle a bit more without Muzzin to lean on, giving the Leafs a hole in that second pair. And while Rasmus Sandin, Travis Dermott, and Timothy Liljegren have all had solid seasons, none of them have really jumped out as options for that role, although Sandin certainly was the most comfortable. They’d be smart to find a top four defenseman who can ease some of the burden off of Muzzin.
Part of that also comes from the fact that their forward depth is pretty solid top to bottom. Their top two lines are great at producing offense and driving play, whil …
Read More
Author: Scott Maxwell / The Leafs Nation