Not many. Depends on how you define elite.

If there are 31 #1 defenders in the NHL, 10 or 11 are not good, 10-15 are good and 5-10 are elite.

That being said, if you have one, your odds of success are higher. With Nylander as an expendable asset, the Leafs should be hunting one down to round out their team and fill one of the final (and biggest) holes.
- Unholy_Goalie

Rielly is top 10.

So we don't need another 1D

Not many. Depends on how you define elite.

If there are 31 #1 defenders in the NHL, 10 or 11 are not good, 10-15 are good and 5-10 are elite.

That being said, if you have one, your odds of success are higher. With Nylander as an expendable asset, the Leafs should be hunting one down to round out their team and fill one of the final (and biggest) holes.
- Unholy_Goalie

Nylander is only "expendable" if you can't sign him.

Link to game for all those who can't search reddit

http://streams.rip/play.h...l62267503&date=2018-11-16

Even that, he got lucky. Pronger's wife wanted out of Edmonton. If not for that, I don't think the Oilers would have moved Pronger.
- PatC80

He got lucky that he became available but he capitalized on the opportunity when it presented itself. That's what I'm hoping Dubas can do with the Nylander situation. It would have been nice if it was Karlsson (similar situation) but it could be somebody else if another team is willing to part with the piece we need. It could be next year, it could be the year after that but I'm hoping it happens sooner rather than later, if possible.

Rielly is top 10.

So we don't need another 1D
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Nor do we need to overpay like we would have to.

Rielly is top 10.

So we don't need another 1D
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Offensively, perhaps. Defensively, not really.

And considering how weak the rest of the Leafs D is, I'd be hesitant to expect Rielly to be good enough to do everything by himself with nobody beside him to share the load.

Link to game for all those who can't search reddit

http://streams.rip/play.h...l62267503&date=2018-11-16
- Drapz

brown chicken brown cow
https://www.youtube.com/w..._xB6mZj8XaUxhnKSWholkqdVI

Nylander is only "expendable" if you can't sign him.
- PatC80

He's expendable regardless. He's not needed to score goals because we have Marner, Tavares and Matthews. We're fine up front for goals.

how's the cute little group of "picky little ass kissing complainers" doing?

Every Norris winner in the past 25 years has won a Cup or gone to the Cup Finals with the exception of Karlsson. Most of them have won Cups. So yeah, having an elite defender works out positively more often than not.
- Unholy_Goalie

Top 5 Norris last year 2 have won cups... 3 didnt
Top 10? Still only 2
Top 15 3.....

So more often than not having a top defense man doesn’t mean poop

He got lucky that he became available but he capitalized on the opportunity when it presented itself. That's what I'm hoping Dubas can do with the Nylander situation. It would have been nice if it was Karlsson (similar situation) but it could be somebody else if another team is willing to part with the piece we need. It could be next year, it could be the year after that but I'm hoping it happens sooner rather than later, if possible.
- Unholy_Goalie

Karlsson wasn't gonna happen. Ottawa said they wouldn't trade him to an eastern conference team.

What the (frank) happened to Babcock's lip? Doesn't he get paid enough to fix that?

He's expendable regardless. He's not needed to score goals because we have Marner, Tavares and Matthews. We're fine up front for goals.
- Unholy_Goalie

Imagine Sundin with a young Mogilny...

Thats what Matthews and Nylander can be..

I say pay him 7.5mil and lets go. He's worth that.

Let the defence develop through the minors and let's keep winning with the assassins up front.

Top 5 Norris last year 2 have won cups... 3 didnt
Top 10? Still only 2
Top 15 3.....

So more often than not having a top defense man doesn’t mean poop
- jribout

Horsepoop. Lidstrom, Niedermayer, Pronger, Keith, Doughty...shall I continue?

how's the cute little group of "picky little ass kissing complainers" doing?
- 21peter

I may be a picky little ass kisser, but I am not a complainer.

Karlsson wasn't gonna happen. Ottawa said they wouldn't trade him to an eastern conference team.
- PatC80

Bullpoop. If the offer was good enough, they would have. And considering what they ended up getting, Nylander would have blown the doors off the other offers.

What the (frank) happened to Babcock's lip? Doesn't he get paid enough to fix that?
- Unholy_Goalie

It's a healing burn from a crack pipe. After all, he must be smoking that if he hasn't demanded the trade for your #1 RHD yet.

Imagine Sundin with a young Mogilny...

Thats what Matthews and Nylander can be..

I say pay him 7.5mil and lets go. He's worth that.

Let the defence develop through the minors and let's keep winning with the assassins up front.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

That's Marner. Or Tavares. Don't need Nylander on top of it. Already going to spend nearly 30 AAV on those 3 guys. If they're going to spend almost 40 AAV on another core player, better off that it's a top pair defender.

The Leafs are incredibly unlikely to develop a top pairing D from within without a top draft pick. They might have a couple top-four defenders in the system but that's at least two or three years away. The need for another top pair D is real.

I may be a picky little ass kisser, but I am not a complainer.
- PatC80

that rant gotta be a worthy post of the year contender

Bullpoop. If the offer was good enough, they would have. And considering what they ended up getting, Nylander would have blown the doors off the other offers.
- Unholy_Goalie

This is a fact that you just need to get over. Karlsson was never coming here, and the Leafs were not going to pay anything near what Ottawa would want to trade him here.

Stop beating that dead horse and see reality.

It's a healing burn from a crack pipe. After all, he must be smoking that if he hasn't demanded the trade for your #1 RHD yet.
- TrashPanda

You think for a second that if Dubas called him and said "I'm looking to add a #1 RHD" that Babcock would say "Nah, we're fine."?

No (frank)ing chance.

Horsepoop. Lidstrom, Niedermayer, Pronger, Keith, Doughty...shall I continue?
- Unholy_Goalie

5 of the last 7 Norris winners don’t have cups

He's expendable regardless. He's not needed to score goals because we have Marner, Tavares and Matthews. We're fine up front for goals.
- Unholy_Goalie

With Nylander, we'd have 3 legit scoring lines. Not many teams can match that.
Thats a good thing for us.

You think for a second that if Dubas called him and said "I'm looking to add a #1 RHD" that Babcock would say "Nah, we're fine."?

No (frank)ing chance.
- Unholy_Goalie

Hmmm... That's not how that works. The GM does not take instructions from the coach, being higher up in the org chart and all.

5 of the last 7 Norris winners don’t have cups
- jribout

Subban went to the Finals, Hedman went to the Finals, Burns has been to the Finals.

Chara won a Cup, Lidstrom, Niedermayer, Blake, Pronger, MacInnis, Leetch, Chelios, Coffey, Bourque; Norris winners win Cups. It's a historical fact.