Maple Leafs need to add three proven defencemen during 2024 offseason

The Toronto Maple Leafs displayed throughout last season that they’re a flawed hockey team and it starts on their blue line. The Maple Leafs have put together a makeshift defensive corps for several seasons now and it’s time for Brad Treliving to prioritize building three pairings which are loaded with talent and experience and complement each other’s games. Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit are all locks for next season. Pending restricted free agent Timothy Liljegren is also in the mix and is likely receiving a qualifying offer from Treliving. Conor Timmins is signed for $1.1 million against the cap and is a depth option, but not someone who should be pencilled into Craig Berube’s three pairings.

Pending unrestricted free agents Ilya Lyubushkin and TJ Brodie appear to be on their way out, the same can be said for Mark Giordano who is likely retiring. Meanwhile, Joel Edmundson is in the running to be re-signed, it’s just of course all going to come down to the dollars making sense.

While Treliving has the likes of youngsters Cade Webber and Topi Niemela who could get a look in preseason in 2024-25, they aren’t likely going to be contributing as early as next season and certainly won’t be options for the top three pairings. Toronto needs help on their blue line and lots of it.

The Maple Leafs used a whopping 13 defencemen last season who appeared in at least two regular season games so it’s no longer about having a strong top-four and ensuring there’s plenty of depth.

Luckily enough, there are a number of unrestricted free agents who fit the needs of the Maple Leafs and Treliving as they’ll look to finalize some contracts come July 1. Brett Pesce from the Carolina Hurricanes should be priority #1. Pesce, 29, would pair nicely with Rielly. He’s a stay-at-home blueliner who is an above-average penalty killer and someone who loves to play an in-your-face style, much like we’re seeing out of the Florida Panther d-core. Pesce’s not overly physical, but as Berube put it, you don’t have to run guys through the boards to be heavy or hard to play against. Pesce loves to block shots, his defensive IQ is off the charts and he’s rarely in bad positioning. He’d be someone Rielly could rely on and arguably the best d-partner he’s ever played with.

Another viable option is Chris Tanev from the Dallas Stars. A blueliner who has been linked to the Maple Leafs in the past and someone who has a history with Treliving from their days together in Calgary. Tanev’s also from Toronto, for what it’s worth and could be looking to finish out his career on his hometown team. However, the rugged blueliner did make quite the connection in Dallas so they certainly aren’t going to let him walk without trying to get a deal done. If Tanev does hit the open market, he’d be perfect for the Maple Leafs.

It doesn’t stop there. Brandon Montour of the Florida Panthers is a pending free agent and would be an absolute dream addition to Toronto. He’d be what John Klingberg couldn’t be last season and a whole lot more. The Panthers appear to be destined to win the Stanley Cup, so Montour’s next contract could be a significant raise from his $3.5 million salary this season, which essentially could be priced out of Toronto’s capabilities, just based on the fact they need to add multiple defencemen. If Montour hits the open market, Treliving should be at least checking in on the price tag.

Sean Walker of Keswick, ON is another potential target and someone the Leafs have reportedly sniffed around on before. Walker’s a blueliner who isn’t a top-pair option but someone who could be a good #4 or #5. If you’re not familiar with Walker’s game, he plays a very similar style to Liljegren. Having both on the roster isn’t necessarily the best setup, so if Treliving decides it’s time to move on from his Swedish defenceman, perhaps he should consider bringing in a local product in Walker.

Alexandre Carrier from the Nashville Predators is another right-handed defenceman who could wind up on the Leafs’ radar once free agency opens. Carrier is a strong penalty killer, he finished last season with 137 blocked shots and also chipped in with 20 points in 73 games. The 27-year-old is someone who could provide more depth on the right side in Toronto and be an upgrade on Timmins and the departure of Lyubushkin.

The list of free-agent options is long and loaded with fits so Treliving has no excuses finding some capable d-men this offseason. There’s of course, always the trade route as well, as each of the players mentioned is going to have multiple teams interested in finalizing a contract this summer. At the end of the day, the Maple Leafs won’t be able to sign all of their targets of course, but they should certainly be doing their best to make significant contract offers on the likes of Pesce and Montour. Adding one of these two for the top pair would do wonders heading into next season. But it can’t stop there.

Treliving has his work cut out for him in his second offseason as Maple Leafs GM. While he has his own pending free agents to worry about, including Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi, it’s hard not to say the majority of his free-agent focus should be on adding to his blue line. Rielly, Benoit and McCabe need some help and it’s time for Treliving to secure some.