Possible Blueline Additions

 

Photo From Sportsnet

 

The injury bug has bitten the Leafs once again as last night during a 2-1 shootout win over Florida the Leafs saw Mark Giordano leave the game in the first period after blocking a shot. After the game when asked about Giordano Keefe answered. “he’s going to miss some time”.

So, with Giordano joining Timothy Liljegren, and John Klingberg on the sidelines for a while the Leafs are in desperate need of fixing their blue line. We know about the potential of Zadorov and Tanev joining the Leafs, but I wanted to talk about a few other potential names that have been linked to the Leafs.

Photo From Hawaii News Now

Ilya Lyubushkin:

Darren Dreger from TSN believes the Leafs could reunite with the Russian defender. Ilya who was brought in by Kyle Dubas during the 21-22 season appeared in 31 games and played fairly well. In his first tour with the Leafs. He would collect 6 points but would register 32 blocks along with 93 hits. The man known as the Russian bear is not afraid to play physically and that continued when he signed with Buffalo the following season where Ilya registered 104 blocks with 99 hits. We even saw his point production rise. Lyubushkin would collect 14 points in a full season with the Buffalo Sabres. So far this season with the Anaheim Ducks Ilya has just 2 points but he has 56 blocks and 42 hits so far. We know Brad Treliving likes players who bring grit and sandpaper to the lineup I think a reunion in Toronto would be a decent decision. Lyubushkin carries a cap hit of 2.75 million dollars Toronto could fit this salary with Klingberg believed to be finished for the remainder of the season, and we know the once Mighty Ducks are in a rebuild. If the Leafs and Ducks were to talk trade, I don’t see the price tag being too high and Anaheim management will likely want to stockpile draft picks.

Photo From Philly Hockey Now

Sean Walker:

Another trade target according to the analysts from TSN is the Flyers defender. I have known Sean since he was a teenager playing Jr A for the Newmarket Hurricanes. He’s a great kid who brings the right attitude to the rink all the time. I reached out to one of his Jr A coaches, Steve Sedore and he gave me a great rundown on Walker’s game. Sean so far this season with the up-and-coming Flyers has 10 points in 22 games. Walker also brings some grit to his game as he has 35 blocks and 29 hits. Now, Steve, this morning in our quick conversation told me that Sean is someone who reads the ice well, he has good even strength numbers and his +5 rating so far this season backs that up. We have seen Toronto struggle at times when playing in their zone, but Sean is good at making a simple first pass to relieve pressure from their opponent. One important detail is Sean is a right-handed shot which it seems like Toronto has been searching for that since the beginning of time. Walker’s cap hit currently is 2.65 million dollars so again with Klingberg on injured reserve the salary could fit. The issue is what would Philadelphia’s asking price be? Walker is a guy who eats minutes for the Flyers averaging twenty minutes a game. Adding Walker would be massive for Toronto because then Morgan Rielly would see his minutes drop a little which would help come playoff time. Sean could replace Connor Timmins right now on the second powerplay because he’s a guy who can also quarterback a powerplay unit.

So, there are a few options we fans could keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches. I know Leaf fans are frustrated because the team has not quite found their stride yet but trust me, they will. When they do this team will make things seem like a distant memory. Toronto finished the month of October with a winning record and if Toronto can leave Seattle with a win on Thursday that will be another winning month. If you’re consistently doing that as the months go by then you are very likely a team that will be contending come playoff time.

Thanks as always for reading.