Three Ways The Toronto Maple Leafs Can Improve Their Defensive Situation

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had some positives through the first seven games of their season, but their defensive game is not one of them.

As it stands, Toronto's goals-against average of 3.14 ranks 20th. While the offense has helped them to a mediocre 3-3-1 record, there's no question GM John Chayka is wanting better showings out of his entire defensive core.

Even if those defensemen ratchet up their game, the Maple Leafs have to be exploring their options to improve their group of blueliners. Especially considering Chris Tanev's injury status.

And you, dear reader, and this correspondent can also explore those options. 

Let's start with the easiest option for Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller, and that's shaking up the pairings. Hiller is already changing up his top six, as on Thursday he has Raddysh and McCabe followed by Ekman-Larsson and first-year Maple Leaf Nick Blankenburg, leaving veterans Morgan Rielly and Troy Stecher on the third pair.

Indeed, Rielly has no one but himself to blame for this demotion. In Toronto's 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth Tuesday, Rielly was a minus-2 despite playing only 16:09 – nearly six full minutes below his career average of 22:02.

You'd have to go back to Jan. 31 of this calendar year to find a game when Rielly played fewer minutes than he did against Utah. Hiller was definitely sending a message to Rielly, and that message will almost assuredly be sent again if things don't change.

If that doesn't help improve things, the next step should be to explore their internal options – most notably, young D-man Ben Danford. The 20-year-old Danford is currently sidelined with a minor injury, but when he's back, he should be the first Toronto Marlies blueliner who gets an opportunity to show his stuff at the NHL level. 

Danford has taken major strides in his defensive game since being drafted in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old has was a key part of the Marlies' Calder Cup run last season and looks well on his way to being a solid shutdown defender.

It's unlikely he steps in and ends up becoming a high-end stopper right away, but he's more than earned an opportunity and could provide a spark for a Maple Leafs D-core that is in desperate need of a shake-up.

If those solutions fail, that's when Chayka must make a trade for a high-impact defenseman. There aren't many available at the moment, but as teams start to show some separation in the standings, there should be more up for grabs.

Any deal for a D-man of note is going to cost them a considerable amount of trade capital. Thus, while there’s still a sense of urgency for Toronto to right its ship, Chayka shouldn't be making trades from a point of desperation. That's why the Leafs need to explore those first two aforementioned options before any sizeable transactions. 

Any opposing team GM will look at the Maple Leafs' defensive woes and attempt to send Chayka an anchor rather than a life-preserver.  

Toronto isn't yet at the edge of a cliff with their blueliners, but they’re not far off.

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