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A couple moves on Monday could have an impact on the Maple Leafs pursuit of blueline help.
The Ottawa Senators may have been the team most wounded by the expansion draft last month, losing defenseman Marc Methot to the Vegas Golden Knights. Methot was Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson’s partner on the Senators top pairing.
The veteran blueliner was quickly moved to the Dallas Stars, who needed to shore up their defense to improve their chances of being a contender in the Western Conference next season.
It was thought that 2015 Ottawa first round pick Thomas Chabot would step into Methot’s place, but Sens GM Pierre Dorion acquired a bit of insurance with the signing of Stanley Cup winner Johnny Oduya.
The 35-year-old Swede (who played with Dallas and Chicago last season) signed a one-year, $1 Million contract with performance bonuses that could increase his salary to $2.25 Million.
With only a smattering of free agent defensemen left from the 2017 class, the few left remaining may be to the point where they will accept a one-year, one-way contract at a low salary to nail down a job for next season or accept a training camp invite from a team that could have a spot available.
The Leafs have seven defensemen on one-way deal and four young prospects in Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman, Timothy Liljegren and Travis Dermott challenging for jobs, but GM Lou Lamoriello may be looking to add a veteran on a professional tryout contract, which would not count against the 50-player pro deal limit and give Toronto some options.
The addition of veteran Ron Hainsey replaced defenseman Matt Hunwick (who signed with the Penguins), but to this point Toronto has not made a move to significantly upgrade their blueline.
Of the defensemen available, the three that appear to be the best fit are Roman Polak, former Leaf Cody Franson and Dennis Wideman.
Polak is coming off a broken leg and would almost certainly require a one-year contract in the same range ($2 to 2.5 Million) that he signed with Toronto the last two seasons.
Franson is 29 and coming off two disappointing years in Buffalo, but indicated at the end of last season his interest to play for the Leafs. Wideman is involved in a lawsuit regarding the collision with linesman Don Henderson, but the 34-year-old averaged over 20 minutes per night with Calgary last season.
It is possible that Franson or Wideman would be willing to accept an invite if they remain unsigned into August.
The Leafs had winger Brandon Prust at training camp last season and he remained with the club through the end of November before signing with a team in Germany. They also added goalie Karri Ramo on a PTO during Toronto’s backup goalie crisis.
Another move that could have a domino effect is the signing of Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a six-year, $24.6 Million contract extension. The Penguins with the addition of Hunwick and re-signing of Justin Schultz and Dumoulin have allocated close to $26 Million on their blueline and have year to replace the departed Nick Bonino as the third line center behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Chatter regarding the possible trade of 22-year-old Olli Maatta may spring up again if the Penguins want to add depth up the middle. Maatta played only 55 games in the regular season due to injury (and has missed significant time the last three seasons), but was in the lineup for all 25 playoff games in route to Pittsburgh’s second straight Stanley Cup.
Maatta has another five years remaining at $4.083 Million per season.
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