There has been a lot of speculation over what the Leafs will do with their cap space ahead of the 2022-23 NHL Trade Deadline. While some remain focused on the fact that the Leafs need to bolster their top six, others remain adamant about adding another impact defenseman for the top-4.
The Leafs' defense corps has been banged up all season long. There's no denying that. However, when they are at full health, the Leafs will have the following players (Jake Muzzin excluded, because his career may effectively be over) available to them in the second half and throughout the playoffs:
In addition, they also have Carl Dahlstrom (LTIR) and Filip Kral (AHL) who also have suited up for the Leafs at the NHL level. With 12 players who can play in the NHL, the Leafs really have no need for another defenseman.
To that note, during his most recent edition of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman revealed he has heard that the Leafs are no longer in the Jakob Chychrun sweepstakes.
While, yes, it might be nice to have a player of Chychrun's caliber, it's also worth noting that he has never played a full 82-game season, so even if the Leafs were to pay the lofty asking price to acquire him, they really can't bank on him being healthy for a full 82-game season or a full playoff run. In that sense, I understand why they have withdrawn interest in the young blueliner, even if he is on a team-friendly deal ($4.6M AAV) for the next couple of seasons.
