For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The resumption of the NHL regular season and/or the Stanley Cup Playoffs may be in question, but that is not going to prevent us at Hockeybuzz from providing daily content for our readers. We will continue to provide you with updates on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the season, but we will also report on news specific to the Toronto Maple Leafs and reflect on the club’s season and player performances through 70 games. We will continue with the report cards with a look at a couple more of the Leafs defensemen: Cody Ceci
Acquired in a July 1 deal with Ottawa, Ceci was acquired in part as a salary dump by the Senators for taking back former Leaf Nikita Zaitsev (and the five years left on his contract) and to address Toronto’s weak right side of the blueliner. The 26-year-old was misplaced and overused on the top defensive pairing with Morgan Rielly early on because of Mike Babcock’s preference to have left-right shooting defense combinations, but was moved down in the lineup under Sheldon Keefe.
Grade - C+
Travis Dermott
Dermott missed the first month of the regular season recovering from surgery on his injured shoulder, but has played well with former Marlies defense partner Justin Holl on the bottom pairing and in a top four role when injuries hit the Leafs blueline.
Although he is a gifted skater and possesses good offensive instincts, the 23-year-old’s production (4 goals, 7 assists in 56 games) has not lived up to expectations, but Dermott has the best plus/minus (+14) on the Toronto defense corps. With Jake Muzzin, Justin Holl, Morgan Rielly, rookies Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren under contract for next season, and Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci likely to test free agency, GM Kyle Dubas will look to lock up Dermott to an extension and for him to occupy a spot on one of the Leafs top two pairings. Grade - B *******
We’ve got each other.
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) March 15, 2020
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