Maple Leafs May Still Swap Out One Defenseman For Another

Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo, Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs don't feel like their team is complete even though there have been some solid moves to improve the team this offseason. They have some cap space to work with and while Toronto is still working on trading Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, or both, there could be someone else on their way out from the defense.

James Mirtle believes "they'd like to somehow get another puck-mover back there, which would mean moving one of the more defensive types out." Whether that puck-mover is UFA Matt Grzelcyk, who is the top defensive free agent remaining, or someone in a trade where the team could save money, there are options.

That also means that a defensive type, pointing to Brandon Carlo or Simon Benoit, would be on their way out. It makes less sense for Chris Tanev or Jake McCabe to be dealt considering they're both signed until 2030 and Morgan Rielly, though he's more offensive, controls his future, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is probably the most pure defenseman with offensive instincts on the team.

Carlo was acquired at the trade deadline by the Boston Bruins and finished the season with one goal and 12 points in 83 games while averaging a hair under 19 minutes per game. He will be playing on the second pairing for the Maple Leafs this coming season and has two years left on his deal. It may be a trade that the Maple Leafs want back, but they can always move him out and get similar value in return. Carlo is 28 years old and logs a lot of time on the penalty kill and also blocked 157 shots and made 90 hits last season. The big negative is that he had 109 giveaways last season.

Regardless of whether the Maple Leafs are looking for value in a defenseman that they might move out, Benoit is the other defensive type that could be traded to suit the team's needs. The 26-year-old had one goal and 10 points last season, also logging over two minutes on the penalty kill, but only 14.5 minutes per game of ice time. He is a legitimate third pairing d-man and over $2 million cheaper, also signed for two more years. He had 11 blocked shots and 204 hits last season.

If I was to make a prediction, Carlo would be the defenseman moved out if the Maple Leafs are going to target a puck-mover before the end of the season. There's an argument that it makes just as much sense to trade Carlo to make the defensive change before the season as closer to the deadline.