Making a case for targeting a defenseman over a forward at the deadline
On a recent edition of the Maple Leafs Hotstove podcast, Anthony Petrielli had something interesting to say relating to the Leafs trading for a forward over a defenceman for the playoffs.
"I don't want to watch another f**king playoff where it's like Mitch won't shoot, someone gets hurt, only have 3 forwards who can score. Give us another guy. Give us another legit guy whose gonna come in and he's just gonna be a weapon on this team. I wanna see someone who can put the puck in the net."
For me, personally, my dream acquisition for the Leafs is Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. That being said, Petrielli brings up a great point. During the playoff series against the Habs, we saw what happened to the Leafs when Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner couldn't generate goals. Even though William Nylander was a rock star and depth guys like Alexander Kerfoot and Jason Spezza stepped up big time, it wasn't good enough. Especially in the absence of John Tavares.
Bringing in another forward would definitely help the Leafs generate more secondary scoring come playoff time, provided it's the right type of player. The issue is, Matthews and Marner should not need a safety blanket in another forward.
Kyle Dubas bet on these two players and this core. Marner and Matthews are paid to generate grade A chances and to score big goals. When they aren't doing that, it doesn't matter how good the Leafs' depth is. The Leafs live and die by their stars. Look, injuries happen. It's unavoidable. The point I'm trying to make here is that an injury to a key player hurt the Leafs in the playoffs last year. That being said John Tavares' injury didn't stop Matthews and Marner from scoring. That's on them.
In a perfect world the Leafs will find a way to pick up and stud forward and top-4 defender, but we don't necessarily live in that world. The Leafs' defense has been good this season, but the Muzzin-Holl pairing has been concerning. Especially Jake Muzzin.
Adding a defenceman like Chychrun, for example, would give the Leafs a top pair/2nd pair LD on a team friendly deal for the remainder of Auston Matthews' contract. It would allow the Leafs to perhaps part with Jake Muzzin, whose injury woes have been prevalent, and if he is indeed in a decline, things aren't going to get much better with age. With the way the Leafs' shutdown pair has looked this season, bolstering the defense is the move that this team currently needs.
We've heard it before. Offense wins games. Defense wins championships. More depth up front should still be a target but not at the expense of bolstering the back end.
