John Chayka made the point on the day he was introduced as the Maple Leafs’ general manager back in May.
uncertain
he → make → May
“The team needs to improve (its) defensive play,” Chayka said.
asserted
Chayka → need → play
“Adding to the defense corps is a priority.”
asserted
Adding → add → corps
Five months later, the sentiment remains the same.
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sentiment → remain → ?
And yet so far Chayka’s highest-profile moves have been geared more toward bolstering Toronto’s offence than shoring up its defence.
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moves → gear → defence
Darren Raddysh was added in a July sign-and-trade with the Lightning.
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Raddysh → add → Lightning
Raddysh plays defence, sure, but his strength veers more toward a booming slapper from the blue line than defending Toronto’s blue paint.
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strength → play → paint
Defenceman Emil Andrae was acquired in the offseason deal that sent Joseph Woll to Philadelphia.
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that → acquire → Philadelphia
But the 24-year-old Andrae never played a game for the Leafs before he was shipped to Columbus in the Kirill Marchenko trade on the eve of the season opener.
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he → play → opener
In that transaction, Chayka forked over Toronto’s best trade chip, winger Matthew Knies, to bring in another winger.
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Chayka → fork → winger
Marchenko dazzles, but the blueline still creaks
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blueline → dazzle → ?
There were understandable reasons to breathe life into a Toronto offence that fell asleep playing Craig Berube’s tedious system the past two seasons.
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that → be → system
Raddysh and Marchenko, at their best, can bring a palpable electricity to a game.
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Raddysh → bring → game
For all that, the need to improve Toronto’s defensive play hasn’t gone away.
asserted
need → improve → play
Thursday’s 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo, wherein the Leafs blew a two-goal third-period lead, was the latest bit of proof.
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Leafs → blow → proof
The Leafs can survive one injury or one bad week.
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Leafs → survive → injury
They can’t casually replace their most
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They → replace → most
And that’s not the only problem.
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that → ’ → ?
Defenceman Jake McCabe, who led the Leafs in ice time last season, has also struggled at times in the season’s opening throes, albeit to far less ado than the much-discussed woes of Morgan Rielly.
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who → lead → Rielly
There are plenty of reasons for the travails of an aging blueline, including a draft-and-develop pipeline that hasn’t produced worthy pros and years of go-for-broke playoff pushes that sacrificed bushloads of potential trade chips.
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that → be → chips
And now Chayka is dealing with a stark reality: it’s not easy to markedly improve a blueline on a short timeline.
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it → deal → timeline
Not that the GM hasn’t tried, having been linked to off-season trade talks for reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski.
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GM → try → Werenski
Now, even if there was a top-four option on the market, it’s worth wondering if the Leafs would have the requisite assets to make the deal.
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Leafs → be → deal
The idea of trading 20-year-old Easton Cowan for help on the back end won’t go away.
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idea → trade → end
But it comes attached to an all-too-recent cautionary tale.
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it → come → tale
It was only back in 2025 that the Leafs landed Brandon Carlo in a trade-deadline deal that supplied the right-shot defenceman the team had long coveted.
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team → land → defenceman
The cost, though, has proven ridiculously steep.
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cost → prove → ?
Not only did the Leafs fork over draft picks, including a 2026 conditional first-rounder, but they also gave up young centreman Fraser Minten.
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they → fork → Minten
Minten, who signed a seven-year contract extension worth $50.4 million (U.S.) in the off-season, has already proven himself as a standout, racking up four goals and seven points in Boston’s opening seven games this season.
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who → sign → games
That the Leafs moved on from Carlo in the off-season for the pithy return of two third-round picks makes the picture all the more grim.
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picture → move → picks
To fix the blueline, Chayka may not have the chips
Making back-end improvements without including Cowan is possible, of course.
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Making → fix → course
But the Leafs aren’t brimming with other easily tradeable assets.
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Leafs → brim → assets
Perhaps they could further deplete their goaltending depth, as they did in dealing Woll, by offering up Anthony Stolarz.
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they → deplete → Stolarz
That, of course, would likely put Marlies No. 1 Artur Akhtyamov under considerable pressure to deliver immediate NHL results as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup.
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That → put → backup
As much as Chayka has proven to be a willing trader, it’s possible Toronto’s blueline solution could begin with lower-cost solutions, assuming there’s internal belief Tanev will be able to return soon.
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Tanev → prove → solutions
Calling up Ben Danford, the 2024 first-round pick, may or may not be one.
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Calling → call → Danford
Danford was a contributor to the Marlies’ run to the Calder Cup last spring, it’s not clear if the 20-year-old is NHL-ready.
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old → ’ → Cup
Odds are we’ll begin to find out soon enough.
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we → begin → ?
Beyond that, Leafs head coach Jim Hiller spent time this week talking about the need for all five skaters to prioritize defensive responsibility.
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skaters → spend → responsibility
“Tanny’s a good player, that’s well established
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that → ’ → ?
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
