Friedman links the Leafs to a premier two-way defender from the West
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had just about everyone in Leafs Nation perking up during the first intermission of Wednesday's game between the Sabres and the Leafs. The subject, of course, was the trade deadline and Friedman linked the Leafs to one of the premier defenders in the National Hockey League.
We currently don't know what the plan in Anaheim is, other than that new GM Pat Verbeek will not sit on Rickard Rakell, Josh Manson and Hampus Lindholm if there's a chance he'll lose them for nothing in the summer. What Friedman suggested on Wednesday evening is that the Leafs are looking to acquire the absolute best defender they can get.
Hampus Lindholm, a former 6th overall pick (2012), has arguably been the Anaheim Ducks' best overall defenseman for the better part of a decade. With the ultra-tough Atlantic Division basically guaranteeing the Leafs a very difficult first round matchup, Friedman said that he believes that the Leafs are going to take a HUGE swing. He believes that swing could be on Hampus Lindholm.
Lindholm, 28, is a massive blueliner, at 6'4, 220 pounds. He will have no problem clearing the front of the net in Toronto. He's basically already built a career around it in Anaheim and quite the name for himself around the league. Long considered one of the best two-way defenders in the game, Lindholm can help the Leafs literally everywhere. 5v5, on the PP or on the PK. He'll play where he's needed and he'll be reliable no matter how he's deployed.
With the uncertainty surrounding Jake Muzzin, who suffered his second concussion in a 6-week span recently, Friedman believes that the Leafs wouldn't shy away from bringing in another left-shot defender. Friedge said that regardless of what the Leafs do at the deadline, he feels it will be a big name coming in.
| POLL | ||
MARS 2 | 387 ANSWERS Friedman links the Leafs to a premier two-way defender from the West Would you like to see the Leafs bring in Hampus Lindholm at the deadline? | ||
| Absolutely | 325 | 84 % |
| Not interested | 50 | 12.9 % |
| We need a scoring winger | 12 | 3.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
