Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka wanted to refresh his blueline heading into next season, and needless to say, early on in his tenure, he’s done exactly that. Heading into free agency on Wednesday, Chayka can continue to reshape his defense core, for this upcoming season, and for the foreseeable future.

Chayka has moved out Simon Benoit and Brandon Carlo, who knows what happens with Morgan Rielly and Philippe Myers, and heading into free agency, Chayka has $20.9 million in cap space, with a few restricted free agents to sign. The Maple Leafs will be in the market for free-agent defencemen, and while the market isn’t loaded with a ton of all-star talent, Chayka will have a good opportunity to add to his blueline and drastically change the look of his roster heading into next season.

Here’s four free-agent defencemen the Maple Leafs should have on their free-agent radar:

The Maple Leafs have a lot of skill throughout their lineup, and Chayka’s starting to add some puck movers on the back end in Emil Andrae and Darren Raddysh, however, Toronto’s GM should be in the market for some ‘nasty’, and Jacob Trouba fits the bill.

The 32-year-old right-hander hits the open market this week and brings a lot of different intangibles to the table. Trouba can chip in with a little offence, posting 10 goals and 35 points last season with the Anaheim Ducks, he’s averaged over 20 minutes per game his entire career, and he’s the type of d-man that makes sure his opposition knows he’s there. Trouba’s as hard to play against as they come, never shy to clear out the front of the net, aggressive and physical on puck battles, and a willingness and sacrifice to block shots, while regularly sticking up for teammates.

Trouba would immediately boost the Maple Leafs’ penalty kill, he’d give them another right-handed defenceman to help balance out the pairs, and along with Jake McCabe, could create a lethal ‘bash brothers’ type of duo, who could do a little bit of everything for the Leafs. Chayka should have interest in signing Trouba, we’ll just have to wait and see if he’s interested heading back east after two years out west.

Stanley is an interesting profile as the 6-foot-7 blueliner was traded mid-season last year and didn’t really keep the momentum going in Buffalo. As a Sabre, Stanley was in and out of the lineup and eventually was scratched down the stretch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, however, the reality is Stanley is coming off a career season, and there’s a ton of untapped potential to his game.

The former first-round pick is 28 years old, he’s an absolute beast to deal with in front of the net and in the dirty areas of the ice, and Stanley isn’t afraid to drop the gloves and give his team a spark. Adding some more grit and toughness should be on Chayka’s to-do list, and the towering Stanley brings that, and much, much more. For someone his size, Stanley is an above-average skater, with great hands, a solid first pass, and an absolute bomb from the point. He scored a career-high 10 goals this past season, combining 26 points in 76 games split between the Sabres and Winnipeg Jets.

Unlike Trouba, Stanley won’t cost very much to sign and would likely accept a much cheaper average annual value, if it means there’s an extra year added onto the contract. The Kitchener, ON native would give a nice wrinkle to the Leafs’ blueline, he’s bigger than Carlo, and plays way more physical, and in your face. And, with the potential of Rielly and Myers being dealt at some point this summer, Stanley could be a low-cost high-reward type of signing for Chayka and company, and flourish as a Leaf.

Not the most attractive of names, but Boqvist could be a great add for training camp this year. The former eighth-overall pick is coming off a down year, appearing 28 games for the New York Islanders, and recording just four assists.

Boqvist is a right-handed shot, he’s shown in the past he can advance the puck, and use his mobility to be effective, and he’s shown, mostly spot duties, he can put up points from the back end. Boqvist’s career high was back in 2023 when he posted 24 points in 46 games as a Columbus Blue Jacket, and he’s the type of project that can battle it out with Troy Stecher for depth minutes and also wind up down in the AHL running the top power-play for a few weeks at a time.

Boqvist won’t cost much to sign, he brings a lot of skill and mobility to the back end, and with his ties to Sweden, perhaps playing alongside William Nylander, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Emil Andrae will be appealing.

While Andersson isn’t at the top of my list, there’s no denying he’s as skilled as they come among this free-agent crop, and while the contract could scare many people away, Chayka should 100% be checking in on the asking price.

Andersson split last season between the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old recorded 17 points in 33 games with Vegas and put up 30 points in 48 games as a Flame. Andersson does a little bit of everything, he makes a great first pass, and he’s one of the best shot-blockers in the league.

With Raddysh on board, Andersson would get second power-play minutes, but has shown over the past several years, he’s an effective penalty killer, and would immediately jump into the Leafs’ top PK unit with McCabe. However, this is certainly a numbers game and while the Leafs have over $20 million in cap space, Andersson would eat up a huge chunk of it.

If the Maple Leafs have interest in Andersson, it’s likely after a Rielly trade, where Chayka has freed up some more cap space, and has room on the back end for another minute muncher.

While Chayka will have his hands full trying to sign some free agents, there’s plenty of trade talks to distract him, including Norris trophy winner, Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski.

Werenski has reportedly made it clear to management he’s not sticking around Columbus long term, and with his close connection to Auston Matthews, Werenski is open to playing for the Maple Leafs. Adding a player of this caliber, especially with two years left on his contract, is going to cost an absolute haul. The Blue Jackets aren’t going to move Werenski to Toronto without asking for a combination of Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, Artur Akhtyamov, and/or Dennis Hildeby. It’s very likely they wouldn’t ask for Morgan Rielly given his age and contract, and with Rielly’s no-movement clause and a western conference heavy approval list, Rielly would likely be dealt in a separate deal, if Werenski is indeed traded to Toronto.

It’s not very often a player of Werenski’s talent level is available on the trade market, and willing to join the Maple Leafs, so the risk-reward is certainly worth navigating. Werenski makes $9.5 million AAV, he posted 81 points in 75 games last season, and if Chayka were to pull this off, it would flip this roster on it’s head, and create a brand new core in Toronto. A long-term core? That’s the question.

If this deal goes down, don’t be shocked to see Knies heading to Columbus and Rielly heading to another team. It’s extremely unlikely that these two players would be left standing in Toronto if Werenski was indeed, on the way.