Maple Leafs’ Offseason Moves Are All About Defense

It’s been approximately one week since the NHL’s unrestricted free agency period opened up – a pressure point in the league’s calendar, as it usually results in changes of employer for scores of players. The Toronto Maple Leafs were a major player on the UFA and trade fronts, and in the space below, we’re going to break down the additions made to Toronto’s roster, almost all of which are addressing the Buds’ biggest focus: defense.

The biggest move and the biggest gamble Leafs GM Kyle Dubas made this off-season is the trade that sent veteran goalie Matt Murray from Ottawa to Toronto in return for a third-round draft pick in 2023, a seventh-rounder in 2024, and future considerations. The Sens retained one-quarter of Murray’s $6.25 million annual salary, but a $4.68 million cap hit is still an awful lot for a salary-cap-strapped team like the Leafs. If Murray doesn’t get back to the form that helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win a pair of Stanley Cups, the overall team result will be catastrophic, and bigger moves may need to happen.

That said, Dubas is giving Murray no excuse as it pertains to the team playing in front of him. He’ll have fellow new Leafs’ goalie Ilya Samsonov giving him healthy competition. And he and the Buds have to show notable improvement on defense – to say nothing of getting out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04 – and Dubas has used the cap space he did have on players who’ll be expected to improve Toronto’s play away from the puck.

That process began in earnest just days into the off-season when Dubas got veteran and former Norris-Trophy-winner Mark Giordano’s signature on a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension. The 38-year-old Giordano did his team a massive favor by settling for $800,000 per season, and his veteran know-how – which stood out after Toronto traded for him at the NHL trade deadline – will help Toronto’s goalies and young defenseman Giordano partners with.

After that, Dubas signed UFA winger and Cup champion winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a one-year, $1.0 million contract to shore up Toronto’s bottom two lines, and then inked former Blackhawks and Sens center Adam Gaudette to a one-year, $750,000 deal to provide depth in the bottom six. Neither player will be looked to for a points rampage, but they are expected to make the Leafs harder to play against.

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One of Dubas’ final moves of late was the signing of veteran defensemen Jordie Benn and Victor Mete to one-year deals for the league minimum of $750,000. Benn is likely to see more NHL minutes, as a 34-year-old has the snarl to his game Toronto believes it needs in greater numbers. But, depending on the status of on-the-trade-block D-man Justin Holl, both Mete and Benn may begin the season with their American League affiliate down the road in west-end Toronto.

Toronto’s most recent move – and probably their last one, until Dubas deals away Holl and his $2-million cap hit, and or forward Alex Kerfoot ($3.5 million cap hit – was the free-agent signing of veteran forward Calle Jarnkroc to a four-year, $8.4-million contract. The 30-year-old Jarnkroc has never scored fewer than 10 goals in one season, but, like Aube-Kubel, he’s not being looke to for offense. That’s what Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are being paid to provide. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will want defensive responsibility on the third line, and there’s certainly an opening for Jarnkroc there.

Noticing any patterns? As we said, the Leafs look like they know offense won’t be an issue next season, so they’re using what little cap room they have at present, as well as the cap space they’re be looking for in any Holl and/or Kerfoot trade. There’s pressure to take that next step immediately, and so long as the goaltending gives them a chance to win every night, the Leafs should be able to evolve positively.