The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ struggles with maintaining consistent results from their defensive unit have been a recurring issue throughout the season.

Whether it has been their difficulties defending the rush, the blueliners not getting the puck cleanly out of their zone, or even just having a healthy unit to begin with, the Leafs have had a rough go of it on defence. Matt Benning, having played in Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders, was the 11th defenceman the team has had to use to this point and the overall depth has not been potent enough to solve the issues plaguing the team from a defensive standpoint.

It’s little wonder that the Leafs have been reportedly looking to get some reinforcements on the backend via trades, such as the rumours of them keeping tabs on Rasmus Andersson. It will not be so simple for GM Brad Treliving to execute any trade he may have in mind because of how few assets the Leafs have at their disposal and the lack of a first-round pick until 2028. That’s why it’s more likely they have to take other measures to address the backend as they did with claiming Troy Stecher off waivers.

Luckily for them, there is an option that has emerged that could help address their needs and only cost them cap space in Egor Zamula.

Zamula was placed on unconditional waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins for the purpose of contract termination on Monday, a mere five days after he was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Philip Tomasino. This comes after he was put on waivers by the Flyers on December 18th, and reports emerged after he cleared that he wasn’t too keen on going back to the AHL.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on December 27th that Zamula was willing to have his contract terminated to seek a fresh start, similar to what David Kampf and Alexandre Texier did earlier this season. The Athletic’s Chris Johnston wrote that multiple NHL teams are interested in acquiring Zamula’s services as he can sign a pro-rated cap hit at more than half of the $1.7 million deal that he will soon have terminated.

There are a multitude of reasons why the Leafs should be among the teams that are at the front of the line to sign Zamula when he becomes a free agent at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The Russian is a 6’3″ and 200-pound defensive defenseman who uses his frame effectively to block shots and close off shooting lanes while generating more offence than he surrenders despite his low scoring output. He possesses strong gap control that would instantly help address the team’s struggles in defending in transition and off the rush. While Zamula is not the most fleet of foot, he can compensate for this by slowing the game down and making the smart plays that neutralize the threat.

Although he is listed as a left-shot defenceman, Zamula has experience playing on the right side and hasn’t looked out of place when asked to do so. Past coaches of his have praised his adaptability and willingness to learn, which are intangibles that the Leafs highly value on top of matching the profile of a defenceman that Treliving and Craig Berube would covet. Because he is only 25-years-old, there is also still room to grow his game and it would align well with the Leafs’ window of contention now and for the next few years.

It is worth noting that during the 2025 Trade deadline, Zamula’s name was making the rounds and Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco wondered if the Leafs were keeping tabs on him. That would imply there may have been a baseline interest from Treliving and Berube in the past, and there is a possibility the Leafs could circle back on Zamula now that he could be had as a free agent.

Should the signing come to fruition, this would allow the Leafs to explore either trying to sell Simon Benoit or waiving Philippe Myers. Both of them have struggled mightily to this point, yet have been forced to play due to the aforementioned piling injuries to the rest of the back end. Zamula would be able to fill the gap on the third pair right now and occasionally some reps on the second pair, while potentially remaining in the mix even as the Leafs start to get healthy.

A low-risk-high-reward signing is the kind of move that the Leafs need to explore if they wish to make any additions this season, and Zamula fits that bill to a T. That’s why it would be in their best interest to consider signing him once he clears unconditional waivers and becomes a free agent.