Three UFA defensemen that Brad Treliving may target for the Leafs on July 1st

Auston Matthews and William Nylander's names are sure to dominate the headlines for most of this season, John Tavares is likely shifting towards the wing, and Ryan O'Reilly likely to depart in free agency, it leaves the Leafs lighter than normal at the center position. However, they also need defensemen with Muzzin's career most likely being over, Mark Giordano being way past his prime, and Justin Holl not an especially strong candidate to return.

The Leafs have Morgan Rielly for another 7 years, Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins for 2 more years, and one year left with T.J. Brodie, Timothy Liljegren, and the aforementioned Giordano. Luke Schenn should be signed this summer, but shouldn't break the bank, however the blueline could still use an upgrade.

A few of the defensemen on the open market that could intrigue newly-minted Leafs general manager Brad Treliving are Carson Soucy, Ryan Graves, and Scott Mayfield.

Soucy was drafted in the 5th round in 2013 by the Minnesota Wild and made his NHL debut in 2017-18. He spent parts of 3 seasons with the Wild before being exposed to the Seattle Kraken ahead of the expansion draft. The Wild protected Jonas Brodin, Matthew Dumba, and Jared Spurgeon, which left Soucy ripe for the taking. At the time, Soucy had 2 years remaining on his deal at a cap hit of $2.75 million. That deal comes to an end this summer.

The defensive defenseman stands at 6'5 and 210 lbs, can skate very for his size, and has chipped in with 3 straight seasons of 16+ points. He scored 10 goals and 21 points in 64 games in 2021-22, and has averaged 16:55 TOI in his 2 seasons with Seattle. He has 169 blocked shots and 261 hits with the Kraken as well. It's likely he tests the free agent market with how volatile it can be and there will be plenty of suitors.

Evolving Hockey has him projected at a 4-year deal worth $2.49 million, which would be a steal, but don't be surprised if a bidding war ensues and the price goes upwards of $3.5M-$4M.

28-year-old, Ryan Graves has carved out a niche as a solid top-4 defenseman in his 5-year career. He played 3 seasons in Colorado to start, where he scored 14 goals and 46 points in 149 games, including a league-best +40 rating in 2019-20. Since he was moved to New Jersey, he has scored 14 goals and 54 points in 153 games across 2 seasons, while averaging 20:20 TOI.

The 6'5, 220lb defenseman can skate extremely well, is responsible on both sides of the puck, and has 287 blocked shots in the last 2 seasons with 173 hits. He is a solid penalty killer, will eat a ton of minutes, and has the ability to provide some offense. He will be a hot commodity if he enters free agency and a contract could net him anywhere between $5 and $5.5 million across 4-5 years.

Scott Mayfield is not a household name, but he has been a steady, consistent, and reliable defenseman for the New York Islanders since his rookie season in 2016-17. He played in a combined 36 games between 2013-14 to 2016-17 but became a fixture from 2017-18 to the present day.

The 6'5, 220lb defenseman has provided the Islanders with a little bit of offense as he has 25 goals and 111 points in 428 games but has averaged 19:12 TOI in his 9 years, including a career-best 21:02 TOI this past season that also had him net a career high in goals (6), assists (18), and points (24). He has 471 hits and 661 blocks over the past 5 seasons, including a career-high 168 blocks in 2022-23.

Mayfield clearly had his best season to date and it comes during a contract year. A new deal for him could be anywhere between $4M-$4.5M across 4 years, which seems steep but it's hard to find right-shot defensemen on the open market.

The theme here is that the Leafs may target big-bodied, hard-hitting defenders. They supply decent offensive surges if needed, but are reliable defensively, can kill penalties, all the while blocking a ton of shots and finishing their checks.

The Leafs have Rielly and Liljegren who can provide the offense from the back end but need more reliable defensive defensemen to plug in alongside them. Signing all 3 is impossible, but signing one should be a priority for the Buds. If Soucy can be had at his estimated price range, it would be a great pickup but don't sleep on Mayfield or Graves either - 2 defensemen who are relatively underrated due to the markets they currently play in.