The Toronto Maple Leafs are continuing to look for avenues to upgrade on defense with six weeks to go until the opening of training camp, and according to a report from David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, the Leafs had expressed interest in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who was bought out by the New York Rangers last week.
The 30-year-old received serious interest from a number of other teams, including the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets, but chose to sign a one-year, $1.75 Million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
It is unknown whether the Leafs cap constraints were a factor in their offer of Shattenkirk’s decision, or whether it was simply the prospect of playing for last season’s President’s Trophy winner and Stanley Cup favorite, but the signing has served to strengthen one of Toronto’s Atlantic Division rivals, who moved on from veterans Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi.
The Leafs interest in Shattenkirk is a strong indicator that GM Kyle Dubas is still looking for ways to bolster his blueline before training camp, which could mean that he will go either the professional tryout route or sign a veteran free agent to a one-year deal.
Candidates may include Girardi, the 35-year-old righty who played 62 games for the Lightning last season, Ben Hutton, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Vancouver Canucks, or veterans Adam McQuaid, Ben Lovejoy and Dion Phaneuf.
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Toronto Maple Leafs centers John Tavares and Auston Matthews were ranked near the top of the league’s Top 20 centers by NHL Network.
Tavares, who scored 47 goals in his first season with Toronto was fifth behind Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov, while Matthews, who scored a career-high 73 points in his third NHL season finished sixth ahead of Patrice Bergeron, Steven Stamkos, Mark Scheifele and Brayden Point.
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