Former NHLer still has serious concerns about Maple Leafs' new-look blueline
The Toronto Maple Leafs did make some serious changes to their blueline this summer, but according to one former NHLer, they may not have improved enough there.
With the additions of Chris Tanev (6x$4.5M) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (4x$3.5M), the Maple Leafs have effectively added two very decent pieces to help augment their blueline. Is it enough to help them evolve from pretenders to contenders? Ex-NHL goaltender Martin Biron is not ready to go that far yet.
Biron was a guest on TSN 1050's OverDrive on Tuesday and when it came time to discuss the Maple Leafs, he was certainly in support of the additions, but made it very clear that the Leafs still need to add a big piece on the back-end to take it to that next level come playoff time.
Biron likened the additions of Tanev and Ekman-Larsson to the Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi additions one year prior, fully acknowledging that the primary difference was the term of their contracts.
Domi and Bertuzzi were brought in as complimentary pieces on one-year deals, while OEL and Tanev are on 4 and 6-year deals, respectively. Likewise, Biron believes that these moves are complimentary moves and not truly game-changing moves in Toronto.
While we can't quite look at the Leafs' blueline and say that it is vastly improved yet, we can look at it and say that it's very likely better than it was last year, and any signs of improvement are a good thing. However, like Biron, I'm fully of the mindset that they still need a significant addition on the back-end to really help them take that next step and become an elite NHL hockey team.
The Leafs were reportedly in on both Matt Roy and Brandon Montour until the very end before Roy signed his deal with the Washington Capitals, and Montour, his with the Seattle Kraken. What these tidbits tell me is that the OEL deal was probably plan C in Toronto and that they probably wouldn't have gone that route if they could have secured a deal for Roy or Montour.
Time will tell if the Leafs are still looking to add on defense this season, but my gut tells me that they're probably going to be on the hunt for a difference-maker on the blueline at or around the trade deadline.
Source: TSN
OverDrive - July 30, 2024 - Hour 2
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 31 | 1418 ANSWERS Former NHLer still has serious concerns about Maple Leafs' new-look blueline Do you think the Maple Leafs did enough on the blueline this summer to become a true contender? | ||
| Yes, they made some smart moves | 341 | 24 % |
| No, they still need one stud defenseman | 541 | 38.2 % |
| They're better, but still not good enough | 536 | 37.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
