The Maple Leafs’ defensive group is radically different from the puckmoving approach of recent years. There has been a noticeable improvement in the defensive results from this change, but the Maple Leafs blueline is also noticeably older. As a result, looking at the blueline being completely under contract for 2025-26 isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Add to that there is both room for improvement and an opportunity for change. Simon Benoit was a solid playoff performer but has lacked consistency throughout the year. Oliver Ekman-Larsson seems like someone that can be upgraded on, and with Morgan Rielly struggling under Craig Berube and being a step slower than he was in previous years, talking defensive upgrades seems worthwhile.

Options like Aaron Ekblad, Ivan Provorov, and Vladislav Gavrikov are the flashier high-end options, but the player that might offer the best value for the Maple Leafs is Ryan Lindgren.

Lindgren had some strong seasons with the Rangers primarily under David Quinn and Gerard Gallant but began struggling under Peter Laviolette. Lindgren has been the longtime partner of Adam Fox, from the start of the 2019-20 season right up until the end of his time in New York. And if the Leafs are looking to bring in an offensive defenceman upgrade, Lindgren might be an ideal partner to place with them.

The 5v5 numbers over the past five seasons show the appeal behind Lindgren as well as why the Rangers were at the point where they were ready to move on from him:

Remembering that he was paired with a perennial Norris candidate/winner as a defensive partner needs to factor into some of these numbers, but Lindgren has demonstrated he can add value in suppressing scoring as well as scoring opportunities. It is also clear that a change of scenery sat well with him and his results on the Avalanche highlight that the Rangers were pulling him down.

Lindgren’s utilization in Colorado was significantly different than what he experienced in New York. There was no Cale Makar pairing, instead he played a significant amount of time with Sam Malinski on the bottom pairing or partnering with Josh Manson, when Manson was healthy.

The Manson pairing is something the Leafs could conceivably wish to emulate on the Leafs with options like Brandon Carlo or Chris Tanev and seeing that Lindgren worked in that second pairing capacity so well, it’s possible to see the fit under Craig Berube.

Lindgren’s style of defence fits right in with what the Leafs have with Tanev, Carlo, McCabe, and Benoit, and while the narrative certainly would be about who score or move the puck up from the back end, the Leafs building a stable of reliable veteran defenders and using that to create opportunities for youthful (and affordable) options like William Villeneuve, Topi Niemela, or Noah Chadwick might have some merit as well, although the latter may still require some development time.

Lindgren checks three key boxes for the Maple Leafs. He’s potentially affordable, he’s younger then their current defensive group, and he fits the direction they are going in. What he doesn’t do is bring the coveted right shot, he doesn’t have a heavy point shot, and he doesn’t generate offence.

He’s not perfect, but in a limited free agent market, he might be one of the better options that allow the Leafs to explore additional upgrades rather than going all-in on more player.