The Leafs are the apparent front-runners for Ducks' Lindholm
Defensive woes have been the Achilles heel for the Leafs since the calendar turned to 2022, in particular in front of their own net. It seems that almost every goal that has been scored the past few weeks has been from a point shot that was tipped because the defensive coverage has failed to box out and tie up sticks in front.
To help with that, the Leafs brought in Ilya Lyubushkin, who has played pretty well since arriving from Arizona. However, the absence of Muzzin on the second pairing has forced the Leafs to shift Brodie to that pair and play an undersized Liljegren with Rielly on the top pairing. Not to say that Liljegren has not played well with Rielly, but having two smaller, mobile defensemen paired together can cause a bit of a problem in board battles in their own end.
While Dubas has typically shied away from rental players, Lindholm would be the perfect rental addition. At a cap hit of 5.2 million, a third team or increasing compensation to the Ducks may have to happen depending on the status on Muzzin, but the Leafs would get a 6'4, 220 pound, top pairing defenseman capable of playing 25+ minutes per night. Lindholm would not only provide a physical edge on the top pair, but he can chip in offensively too, having amassed 21 points in 57 games so far this season.
It will likely cost the Leafs a first rounder, a good prospect, a roster player and possibly more depending on the cap situation, but adding Lindholm to the back end could shift the Leafs parings so they look something like the below, giving the Leafs an abundance of depth suddenly:
Lindholm - Brodie
Rielly - Lyubushkin
Muzzin - Holl
Sandin - Liljegren/Dermott
| POLL | ||
MARS 10 | 420 ANSWERS The Leafs are the apparent front-runners for Ducks' Lindholm Should Dubas pay the high price for Lindholm | ||
| Yes | 161 | 38.3 % |
| No | 174 | 41.4 % |
| Depends on Muzzin's status at the deadline | 85 | 20.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
