The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a few changes to their defense ever since John Chayka became the GM of the club in early May
It’s an area of the team that was particularly disappointing this past season. The Maple Leafs were the second-worst team in the NHL when it came to keeping the puck out of their net, averaging 3.60 goals against. That’s the highest goals-against average the franchise has ever posted since registering a 3.68 in 1991-92
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Therefore, some alterations on the back end were required going into next season.
With those modifications, where do the Maple Leafs stand among their Atlantic Division rivals in terms of their defensive depth and how the blueline looks on paper compared to others?
Off-Season Subtractions And Additions
Chayka shipped out Simon Benoit and Brandon Carlo in separate trades with the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues, respectively
Coming in, Chayka’s first trade of his Maple Leafs tenure saw 24-year-old defenseman Emil Andrae get introduced to the team. Andrae was later signed to a two-year contract extension at $1.55 million per season, as he was a pending RFA at the time of the trade
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Chayka’s next move as Toronto’s GM was to address the team’s D-corps once again. This time, he made a big splash for Darren Raddysh, acquiring the 30-year-old blueliner from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a sign-and-trade
He was inked to an eight-year deal that pays him $8.5 million per year against the salary cap. Raddysh will immediately fit in on the Leafs’ top four on the back end, probably even as a top-pair defenseman and a spot on the first power-play unit
Among those that remain from last season are Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher
Rielly is an interesting case because he’s been attached to trade rumors for a large chunk of the off-season, with reports that he has provided a short list of teams to the Maple Leafs about destinations he’d waive his no-move clause for
Report: Maple Leafs Not Interested In Paying Big Sweetener To Trade Morgan RiellyThe Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly uninterested in paying a big sweetener to move off defenseman Morgan Rielly in a trade
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Tanev missed a large portion of last season, only being able to play in 11 games. He dealt with multiple injuries and setbacks, including a groin injury, an upper-body injury that he suffered against the Flyers on Nov. 1, and core muscle surgery. But he’s expected to be ready for training camp, and his return for next season will almost be an addition in itself
After the Maple Leafs claimed Stecher off waivers on Nov. 15, he enforced his will to become a regular player on the roster and impressed with his work ethic and his desperation to stay in the NHL. As a result, he earned himself a two-year contract extension with Toronto at $1.35 million per season
<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-gm-john-chayka-believes-defense-is-in-a-good-place-following-2026-free-agency-haul" rel="nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Maple Leafs GM John Chayka Believes Defense Is ‘In A Good Place’ Following 2026 Free Agency HaulThe Toronto Maple Leafs added Sergei Bobrovsky and several forwards on Wednesday, but what about the back end? Here’s why GM John Chayka believes his blueline is “in a good place.”
Where Do The Leafs Rank In Division?
It’s shaping up to be another bloodbath in the Atlantic Division next season, with each team looking to make the playoffs and no one interested in looking ahead to the future or rebuilding. Therefore, the Leafs are up against some impressive D-corps in the Atlantic
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One defense group that the Leafs comfortably have the edge over in their division are the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings have an excellent, young top pair with Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider, but their supporting cast is nothing to write home about, with Justin Faulk, Ben Chiarot, Albert Johansson and Jacob Bernard-Docker. However, 21-year-old Axel Sandin-Pellikka could earn an NHL role, and while he’s still young, he’s capable of surprises
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Outside of Detroit, the rest of the order really depends on how individuals perform next season.
For example, if Rielly can find his stride again and play as he did before the arrival of Craig Berube, if Ekman-Larsson can repeat his impressive campaign from this past year, if Tanev can continue to be the player he always has been after missing all of 2025-26, essentially. It’s even fair to question if Raddysh can pull off what he did this past year again, considering his 70-point campaign was the first time he scored more than 40 points
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There’s certainly a world in which the Leafs’ defense performs at a higher standard than the Lightning next year, taking their top scorer from that position in the past season. In response, Tampa Bay did acquire John Carlson, who is 36 years old, for what it’s worth. Though he is still a talented blueliner who can score in bunches from the back end
Along with Carlson, the other notables on Tampa’s defense are captain Victor Hedman and J.J. Moser.
Hedman is 35 years old, turning 36 in December, and missed so much of 2025-26, with an injury-riddled campaign, as well as a temporary leave of absence
Moser is an excellent two-way D-man who will probably have the biggest role on the team’s blueline. He averaged the most ice time on the team this past year outside of Raddysh and was second in plus-minus with a plus-41
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To round out the Bolts’ defence are 37-year-old McDonagh, as well as Erik Cernak and Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Emil Lilleberg
On paper, the Maple Leafs should have the edge on the Lightning
Another team the Leafs could be neck-and-neck with in terms of the makeup of their bluelines is the Boston Bruins
Leading that group is Charlie McAvoy, a defenseman who probably looks down at the entire Maple Leafs D-corps. With him are Mason Lohrei, Hampus Lindholm, newly acquired Will Borgen, Henri Jokiharju, Nikita Zadorov and Connor Clifton. That’s a solid blueline with all NHL regulars at ages between 25 and 32
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With Boston’s defense up against Toronto’s on paper, it’s close. That decision could go either way, but if the Leafs’ defensemen perform to their expectations, they have more difference-makers on paper
Report: Maple Leafs ‘Hopeful’ To Add Difference-Maker To NHL RosterThe Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly “hopeful” to add a difference-maker to their roster after an already busy start to July
Regarding the rest of the division, it’s tough to make a case for the Maple Leafs having a flat-out better D-corps.
However, the team that the Leafs come closest to of the rest is the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa has one of the best defensemen in the NHL in Jake Sanderson, who is still just 24 years old.
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Artem Zub and Thomas Chabot are solid top-four defensemen, and Jordan Spence can be a game-changer from the blueline with his offensive talent. Even Carter Yakemchuk can surprise the league the same way Detroit’s Sandin-Pellikka can
Ultimately, the Senators have better defensemen at prime ages, but the Leafs aren’t far off if they can improve from this past year
Even a team like the Buffalo Sabres, which moved on from Bowen Byram, still has the edge over Toronto, thanks to Norris Trophy finalist Rasmus Dahlin, as well as Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson, who had great seasons in 2025-26. Now, add Olen Zellweger to the mix, and that blueline is looking fast and skilled
Of the remaining teams, the Montreal Canadiens show no signs of slowing down, and the Florida Panthers look ready to challenge for another Stanley Cup this coming year
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