Maple Leafs Need a Couple Cheap Experienced Defensemen 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of experience on the back end. The average age of their top-six defensemen is 30.6 years old. Mark Giordano is the grandfather of the group at 39 years of age. T.J. Brodie is 33. Newly signed John Klingberg is 30. Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe are both 29. Timothy Liljegren is the baby of the group at just 24. 

The total number of NHL games played by the six players is an astounding 4,142 games. This includes 3,915 regular season and 227 playoff games. Once again, Giordano has by far the most games played with 1,143 regular season and playoff games in total. Brodie has played 885 games; Rielly, 769; Klingberg, 682; and McCabe has played 515.

All five have over 500 games played. The 24-year-old Liljegren has the least experience with 148 games played. 

Any way you put it, the Maple Leafs’ top six has a ton of experience. 

What About the Team’s Defensive Depth?

But what about beyond the top six? How much experience does the Maple Leafs’ depth have?

The next person on the Maple Leafs’ depth chart is 24-year-old Conor Timmins. The team acquired Timmins from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the over-sized but under-performing Curtis Douglas in November of 2022. Because he showed flashes of offence from the blue line, the Maple Leafs signed Timmins to a two-year, $1.1 million per season contract extension.

Despite his initial success after playing 27 regular-season games, Timmins failed to make the Maple Leafs’ lineup in the postseason. The jury remains out on how good he might become.

Eight Defensemen Saw Postseason Action

Eight other defensemen saw at least two games of ice time in the playoffs. That would indicate that Timmins was ninth on the team’s depth chart at the end of last season. The fact that he is now two spots higher is, in itself, an indication of what direction the Maple Leafs’ defensive depth has gone. 

To this point in his career, Timmins has played 66 regular-season games and 12 playoff games (all 12 playoff games were with the Colorado Avalanche). That gives him a total of 78 games played in the NHL.

The Two Next Defensemen Are Lagesson and Lajoie

The next two defensemen on the Maple Leafs’ depth chart are two under-the-radar unrestricted free agents (UFAs) that were signed with little or no fanfare on July 1 of this year. They are 27-year-old William Lagesson and 25-year-old Maxime Lajoie. Lajoie has played a total of 70 regular-season and two playoff games in his career, while Lagesson has just 60 regular-season and zero playoff games under his belt. 

So, that’s it. Outside of their top six, the Maple Leafs’ depth in the back end consists of Timmins (78 games), Lajoie (72 games), and Lagesson (60 games). Other than those three, the Maple Leafs do not have a player with a single game of NHL experience. 

What Happens When Injuries Come?

Surely there will be injuries this coming season. The Maple Leafs used a total of 14 different defensemen in the regular season in 2022-23. The old adage that you can never have enough defensemen is true, and the Maple Leafs, at least at this point in time, are definitely lacking in that area.

We are still just over two months away from the start of the 2023-24 season. There’s still lots of time for the Maple Leafs to add to, and make changes to, their roster. There are numerous reports that new GM Brad Treliving has more changes planned for the defense. Those changes may include tweaks to the top six, let alone additions to their defensive depth.  

The Final Roster is Far From Set

To complicate matters further, the Maple Leafs can’t presently ice a 12-forward, six-defensemen complement of players due to salary cap restraints. Undoubtedly, more changes are coming.  

The defense on the Maple Leafs could still look significantly different on the opening day of training camp than it does right now. We wonder where Jordie Benn might be and if he’s in shape.

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs’ fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]