The Toronto Maple Leafs may have avoided a bigger injury issue with their defense corps, but at this point, the team should find an upgrade for this season and the long term. Dougie Hamilton is that player.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt with injuries to key players all season long.
They were already without the services of right winger William Nylander, defenseman Chris Tanev and goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who's expected to return to action on Friday against Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights. But they also had a scare when Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Carlo were reported to have suffered injuries this week.
Carlo and Ekman-Larsson skated Friday morning, which means the team might have escaped an even worse injury situation. But at this point, with Tanev still out and the risk of the injury bug taking another bite out of their veteran blueliners, Toronto could use some help on the back end. Any move they make could even help them beyond this season, considering veteran Morgan Rielly has been struggling in his own zone all season long as well.
Even with the stellar play of veteran D-man Jake McCabe, and with waiver-wire pickup Troy Stecher being better than anyone had hoped, the Leafs' defense corps will be thin if Ekman-Larsson or Carlo aggravate their injury.
The Leafs' defense corps depth chart has become a dog's breakfast, with Simon Benoit, Philippe Myers, Matt Benning and Henry Thrun all the most likely solutions to get playing time if more veterans get hurt. And if the Maple Leafs are going to push for a playoff spot in the second half of the season, they're going to need a trade to improve their defense corps.
That means Leafs GM Brad Treliving should be making a serious push to acquire New Jersey Devils star D-man Dougie Hamilton.
Toronto has to put together a trade package that satisfies Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, but if the Maple Leafs can find a way to absorb Hamilton's $9 million salary cap hit, the trade price for Hamilton shouldn't be overly excessive. New Jersey cannot retain salary, considering Luke Hughes and Stefan Noesen are on long-term injured reserve, but perhaps a third team could retain up to half of his cap hit.
Any package may have to involve Nick Robertson, who's improved this year as a middle-six forward, or veteran Max Domi, who could play at center or on the wing. They also have a first-round pick in 2028 if they feel they need to use it in a trade. But considering Hamilton's been a healthy scratch and carries such a large salary cap hit, just acquiring him would be doing New Jersey a favor.
But while it's probably going to take a complex trade to make every party happy, the alternative – sticking with this defense corps – feels like a surefire recipe for disappointment. It just won't work if another veteran gets hurt, and that's why Toronto has no choice but to trade for a veteran to improve their back end.
You might say that's next to impossible for Treliving to pull off. But remember, the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers found a way last season to bring in a needle-moving defenseman – former Columbus Blue Jackets D-man Seth Jones – to help them carry on through injuries to their defense corps.
We're not here to tell you the acquisition of Jones was what made the Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but we use Jones as an example of a Cup contender finding the will and the way to step up and acquire a veteran blueliner with a massive salary. If Florida was able to do that last season, surely the Leafs can do the same thing this year.
One thing is undeniable – the status quo is not acceptable for Treliving & Co. The Maple Leafs have a clear and dire need for an upgrade on 'D,' and they need it right away. Toronto can't afford to take a backward step because the injury bug stomped all over them. They have to withstand that blow and come out stronger. And that's why a trade for a defenseman is so necessary.
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