The Toronto Maple Leafs have been looking to bolster their blue line and their entire roster this offseason.
Toronto traded for Emil Andrae and did a sign-and-trade for offensive defenseman Darren Raddysh. The Maple Leafs have dealt Brandon Carlo and still could trade Morgan Rielly, so Toronto could look to add another defenseman or two.
With that, Maple Leafs analyst Justin Bourne of Sportsnet predicts Toronto will sign former Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke.
“You could make a case that they’d grab another UFA D, as the bottom pair still isn’t what you’d want with sending so many guys out the door, including Carlo,” Bourne wrote. “July 1 has options in that category. There are giants like Vinny Desharnais and Jamie Oleksiak, there are mean ones like Logan Stanley and Erik Gudbranson (I do think they would stomach non-skaters/playmakers if they had some bite).
“Would Jacob Trouba come to Canada if Werenski and Matthews were going for it? Would Mario Ferraro or Andrew Peeke be into it? Veterans like Nick Jensen or Ian Cole? There’s actually a decent selection of depth defenders available through UFA, despite the lack of top-end talent. I’m gonna pick Peeke here cause he’s six-foot-three, 28 years old and just averaged 19:30 per game for the Bruins while getting stuffed in the D-zone and fed top competition. The numbers weren’t great, but I’m just picking a guy here. He kills penalties and checks.”
Peeke is a 6-foot-3 defenseman who’s spent the last three years with the Bruins, who are Toronto’s top rival. He’s a solid third-pair defenseman who recorded 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points in 77 games.
Peeke Hopeful to Stay With Bruins
Although Peeke appears set to hit the open market on July 1, he has made it clear he would like to remain in Boston.
Peeke has been a steady third-pairing defenseman for the Bruins, and after their season came to an end, he said he loved being a Bruin.
“I love being a Bruin. It’s an unbelievable place to play,” Peeke said, before later adding, “It’s awesome. You’re coming to an Original 6 team, such a storied franchise, sports town, all of the above. I love every sport. … So for me to be able to represent a city like this is pretty awesome.”
Yet, the Maple Leafs are also an Original 6 team and a historic, storied franchise, which could entice Peeke to sign in Toronto. But his free agency could very well come down to who pays him the most money.
Maple Leafs Expected to be Aggressive in Free Agency
Toronto had a disappointing season last year, and new GM John Chayka has made it clear that he plans to be aggressive.
Chayka wants Toronto to be a Stanley Cup contender again next season. He said he will be aggressive this offseason.
“There are some players we like. There are some needs we have. We will be aggressive, but we will also make sure we are not doing anything to hurt the future,” Chayka said.
The Maple Leafs have just over $22.2 million in cap space.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Maple Leafs Predicted to Sign 6-Foot-3 Defenseman From Heated Rival appeared first on HEAVY.