The Toronto Maple Leafs' defense has struggled without injured veteran Chris Tanev. But can Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo and Toronto's other blueliners elevate their defensive play to salvage the Leafs' fading playoff hopes?
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ defense corps has been missing veteran defenseman Chris Tanev for most of the season. This writer is on record as stating that we believe Tanev is Toronto’s biggest missing piece right now. The Maple Leafs don’t have the calm they have with Tanev in the lineup, and until he returns, it will be challenging for the Leafs to win most nights.
Indeed, the Buds aren’t going to get back into the Atlantic Division playoff race unless they get Tanev back sometime soon. Even if they do, the onus is still on the rest of the Leafs’ defense corps to be significantly better if they’re to avoid falling out of the playoff picture.
It all starts with Morgan Rielly, the longest-tenured Leaf, and one of the highest-paid Leafs. Rielly does have 16 assists and 20 points in 24 games, tying him with Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the team lead in scoring by a blueliner this year, but Rielly has repeatedly appeared lost in his own zone. He’s got a full no-move clause protection, but if Toronto fails to be in a playoff spot by the March 6 trade deadline, Rielly may be persuaded that his best future exists elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the best you can say about veteran Jake McCabe is that he hasn’t been the issue in the Maple Leafs’ defensive zone. If Toronto had six McCabes, they’d at least make the Leafs harder to play against.
But the rest of Toronto’s defense corps is a real mixed bag. Carlo has some strong stretches, but you also see why Boston gave up on him. He’s got the yips at times, and you want him to be a little meaner. Then there’s normal third-pair D-man Simon Benoit, someone who we’ve come to like, but he, too, is rather limited.
Finally, there are the injury replacements we’re seeing in Leafs Land this season – Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers and Troy Stecher. Myers has been an absolute nightmare and is probably the worst defenseman on the team. Mermis has been slightly better, and Stecher has been the best of the three, but that’s a low competitive bar to clear.
In sum, the Leafs’ defense corps has been the same old story, and the same old song-and-dance. Too many bad reads, too many poor choices, too few battles won. Sure, the goaltending could also be better, and you can say the same of the offense. But it’s hard to find anything especially worthy of generating optimism when it comes to Toronto’s defensemen.
Now, if we had to pick the best Maple Leafs defenseman this season, we’d pick Ekman-Larsson. He’ll never be mistaken for a shutdown defenseman, but Ekman-Larsson’s offensive talents can still give him an edge as often as not. You can’t say the same of the rest of the team.
Tanev’s return will restore some sense of calm, and you’re going to see more clearings along the boards that Tanev provides. But to get on the roll required to fight its way back into a playoff spot, the Maple Leafs need the rest of the ‘D’ to reverse their current trajectory and make them into an above-average team again.
If they do make a trade, don’t be shocked to see the Leafs deal for a blueliner. The solutions on offense and in net are clear and internal for Toronto, and unless something significant changes, you can’t say the same about the defense.
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