The Leafs need puck-moving defensemen. Here are some they could target

May 28, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: May 27, 2026, 11:16 EDT

Adam Fox, Darren Raddysh, Jamie Drysdale and Vince Dunn

There are many different paths toward fixing the broken Toronto Maple Leafs. New GM John Chayka and executive senior advisor Mats Sundin are only beginning to understand them.

And yet, mere hours after they were hired to their positions, they both acknowledged one clear area of need: puck-moving defenseman. In scrums after their introductory press conferences early this month, when the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons tabled the idea, neither executive disagreed.

“I think you’re completely right. It’s almost like the whole game is evolving to be faster,” Sundin said. “If you look at Anaheim, Edmonton had a tough time keeping up with their young guys. It’s a fast game, and right through your whole lineup, if there’s one thing that’s important in today’s hockey, it’s the skating, whether you’re a defenseman or a forward.”

“I think it’s the right observation,” Chayka said. “I wouldn’t be as critical of our ‘D’ maybe, but certainly there’s opportunities with mobility and puck movement, and I agree that, when you’re in the playoffs now, everyone’s playing at a fast pace and joining the rush and it’s a big part of the game. So it’s my job to go out and try to find the right mix. What we don’t want to do is overcorrect and make mistakes and throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have a lot of really capable defenders that bring a lot to the team and a lot of good veteran presence, but certainly as I look at that mix, adding to the defense corps is a priority. I don’t have a crystal ball, we’ll see what the options are as they become available, but we plan on being aggressive there.”

The Leafs had the third-worst expected goal differential in the NHL at 5-on-5 this season, generating the fourth-fewest scoring chances and allowing the second-most chances, so they badly need to get better at escaping their zone.

If the Leafs do pursue help on defense this summer in hopes of improving their ability to break the puck out, sustain offense and tilt the play driving in their favor, who might be the potential targets? It depends on whether the new regime wants to plug holes quickly or search for younger players who could become part of a long-term core.

WIN-NOW HELP

Vince Dunn, Seattle Kraken

Dunn averages 56 points per 82 games over the past four seasons. He’s 29 and has a year remaining on his contract at $7.35 million. If the Kraken are looking to make some larger-scale changes with Ron Francis no longer making the decisions, they could move Dunn knowing Brandon Montour can fill the PP1 spot fairly seamlessly.

Adam Fox, New York Rangers

On one hand, Fox is exactly what the Leafs need. He’s an elite play-driving defenseman, one of the best of his generation, and despite the antiquated criticisms about his intensity, he’d be a transformative addition. On the other hand: he’s 28, has three seasons remaining on his contract and would carry a significant acquisition cost. Fox only makes sense if Chayka and the Leafs truly think 2025-26 was an aberration and that they’ll return to high-end contender status next season. But few of us believe that’s the case, right? The Leafs were just bad this season, with or without their poor injury luck.

Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils

If the Devils are still keen on unloading Hamilton’s $9-million cap hit and perceive any team taking him on to be doing them a favor, that lowers the acquisition cost. But Hamilton quietly had a resurgent season, especially in the second half. Even though he’s a declining and expensive asset, he’s valuable, and new GM Sunny Mehta won’t necessarily see Hamilton as a piece to jettison. If he remains available and the Leafs still fashion themselves contenders in the present, he’s an option to explore.

Jake Walman, Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers need to free themselves of some cap space in hopes of improving a roster that will be challenged even to maintain status quo based on how much money it already has committed for 2026-27: more than $87 million. Ideally, they’ll find a taker for Darnell Nurse and convince him to waive his no-movement clause. But if that avenue doesn’t work: it’s worth noting Walman’s new contract, paying him $7 million annually, kicks in July 1. It has an NMC, as does his current expiring deal, but he is from Toronto, just sayin’. It would make a lot of headlines moving him before his next contract kicks in but, let’s face it: he had a poor 2025-26 season, he’s already 30, and that extension, signed this past October, has already aged poorly. Should the Oilers decide they want to escape it, they could search for a trade partner desperate for speed and puck-moving acumen. Walman possesses 98^th percentile max skating speed and a 99^th percentile max shot power, per NHL EDGE data.

YOUNG UPSIDE

Jamie Drysdale, Philadelphia Flyers

The potential never seems to yield the results for Drysdale, who was such a talented junior-aged player that he earned ‘next Cale Makar’ type of hype leading up to the 2020 NHL Draft and hasn’t come anywhere close. But Drysdale graded out as an above-average play driver at both ends of the ice this season; for the first time in his career, his team outscored its opponents at 5-on-5 with him on the ice. He averaged the post points per game of his career to date, he’s still just 24, and he’s a Toronto native. With right-shot Oliver Bonk knocking on the door, would the Flyers be OK moving Drysdale?

Mason Lohrei, Boston Bruins

Lohrei has great size and some puck-moving acumen, but coach Marco Sturm only trusted him enough to use him in three playoff games, healthy-scratching the $3.2-million defenseman. Lohrei feels like the kind of player who needs to join a fledgling organization that will give him a larger role. Could the 25-year-old be a fit for the Leafs? Maybe, but they arguably need someone with a higher offensive ceiling rather than a two-way guy who moves well for his size.

Pavel Mintyukov, Anaheim Ducks

Mintyukov dressed for every Ducks playoff game. Does that mean he could rescind his trade request from early this season? Or would he still like to find a team willing to give him more minutes? At 22, he’s still young in defenseman years. He hasn’t put it all together yet but was quite a dominant scorer in major junior. Not a bad buy-low candidate.

Simon Nemec, New Jersey Devils

The Devils reportedly took some calls on Nemec over the winter. But when we factor in his age, pedigree and upside, I wonder if Mehta wipes the slate clean and dismisses the idea of moving Nemec. If he’s still available, though, the buying window feels just right for the Leafs here. His defensive game needs a lot of work, but the Leafs aren’t lacking for sturdy types to pair with him. What they need is someone dangerous, and Nemec’s improvisational skills with the puck are undeniable.

Olen Zellweger, Anaheim Ducks

Ducks coach Joel Quenneville revealed his pecking order by scratching Zellweger for all but three playoff games. He isn’t unseating Jackson LaCombe as the top lefthanded puck-mover on the team. The Ducks do have multiple veteran D-men set to become UFAs, but John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas are all right shots, so any vacancy left by any of them doesn’t necessarily help Zellweger. A team like the Leafs would be wise to inquire about him. He amassed 22 points in 76 games while averaging just 16:59 of ice time this season but, among 213 NHL blueliners who played at least 500 5-on-5 minutes this season, Zellweger ranked first overall in individual expected goals per 60. There’s serious untapped offensive upside to unlock here.

BIG SWING

Brandt Clarke, Los Angeles Kings

If the Leafs wanted a dream marriage of skill, age and a player maturing into his prime, Clarke, 23, is the perfect target. Over the past three seasons, only Cale Makar averages more primary assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. Clarke’s surface stats have remained relatively modest because the Kings haven’t fully unleashed him from a workload standpoint – he has yet to average 20 minutes of TOI in a season – but his responsibility is trending upward, and his RFA summer might be the last real chance for another team to steal him. He wouldn’t come cheap, of course. Clarke remains L.A.’s long-term successor to Drew Doughty as their top puck-moving righty defenseman. The Leafs would have to make a core-altering move to land Clarke.

HIGH-PRICED FREE AGENTS

Rasmus Andersson, Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights will likely prioritize re-signing RFA and playoff goal-scoring leader Pavel Dorofeyev, which could mean clearing out a contract such as Adin Hill’s to protect against a Dorofeyev offer sheet. But even if they resolve that situation, UFA Andersson will command as much coin as any blueliner on the market, so it’s possible he walks. He’d bring a degree of mobility the Leafs lack, but it’s debatable if they should be seeking late-20s UFAs to pay deep into their 30s at this stage of their retool.

Darren Raddysh, Tampa Bay Lightning

Raddysh was arguably the 2025-26 season’s most shocking success story, stepping up as a key offensive weapon in Victor Hedman’s absence. Raddysh obliterated his career highs with a 22-goal, 70 point season. He’s a Toronto native who’d give the Leafs quite an offensive lift, particularly with his blistering shot, but it goes without saying how risky it would be to pay a 30-year-old for a career year. Raddysh didn’t even stick as an NHL regular until he was 27.

STOPGAP FREE AGENTS

Tony DeAngelo, New York Islanders

DeAngelo’s off-ice persona is controversial but, like him or not, he remains an effective puck-mover on it, grading in the 86^th percentile in primary assists per 60 this past season with the Isles. It’s just a matter of whether his personality would clash with the smothering Toronto market.

John Klingberg, San Jose Sharks

Klingberg could work as a Band-Aid option. He’s healthier than he was in his previous (brief) stop in Toronto. He was quietly sixth among NHL defensemen in power-play goals per 60 this season. His speed has regressed to below average at this stage of his career, however, so the Leafs might want someone more adept at dashing up the ice with the puck.

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POST SPONSORED BY bet365

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