The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a very good penalty kill (PK) over the last five seasons. Last year, they ranked 12th in the NHL with an 81.85% success rate. Unfortunately, this season, they have struggled. The team sits 27th in the league with a 76.74%, lumped in with non-playoff teams such as the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. For a team that relies on their big guns to score, it’s very difficult to lock down wins when their PK is struggling.
The Maple Leafs lost some key members of their PK during the offseason, including Alex Kerfoot, Noel Acciari, Sam Lafferty, and, for a short time, Luke Schenn. As a result, Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving will need to try and find pieces that can help fix their struggling PK. The most likely option would be to acquire depth players who excel shorthanded from teams that are already out of the postseason. So, here are a handful of options that Toronto and Treliving could pursue.
Justin Danforth – CBJ
Justin Danforth would have one of the coolest nicknames on the Maple Leafs. Most members of Leafs Nation would call him “the Danforth’ after the area in Toronto. Regardless, he would be a good addition to the team’s PK. Although he is a smaller player, he has the speed and tenacity to be a good penalty killer. He can hit opponents to break up the cycle, and he isn’t afraid to get into the shooting lanes. He is also a versatile forward who can play both the wing and down the middle. In the face-off dot, he has a winning career percentage of 51.2%, which gives the coaching staff another option at center on the PK.
Danforth also has a 60.7 defensive zone starts percentage (dZS% – which tells us how often a player starts his shift in the defensive zone), which is a good indication that the Columbus Blue Jackets use him as a defensive depth forward.
This season, he has played 83.1 minutes shorthanded. In comparison, the Maple Leafs’ top penalty killer, Mitch Marner, has spent 92.3 minutes shorthanded this season. Danforth is a reliable penalty killer, and at 30 years old on a non-contending team, he may not cost a lot to acquire. The most challenging part would be that he signed a contract extension worth $1.1 million on Oct. 12, 2023; however, with the right compensation to the Blue Jackets, Treliving could make the deal work.
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Of course, it is always hard to predict an NHL player’s value. But, for Danforth, Treliving should offer a top AHL player, such as Nick Abruzzese, and a mid-tier draft pick – It’s unlikely the Maple Leafs will have room for Abruzzese on the NHL roster, but on a retooling team like the Blue Jackets, the opportunity might be there. He is also a skilled young player who could find another level if he is given the chance in the NHL.
Matt Dumba – ARI
Matt Dumba seems to have been linked to the Maple Leafs for several years, and in the past, players who have been linked to the club have eventually played for them – Fans were calling for Wayne Simmonds to be a Maple Leaf and became one in 2021. So, this could finally be the season that Toronto brings Dumba to town.
He can be a real game-changer on the backend for head coach Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff. They are desperate for a defenceman who can play alongside Morgan Rielly, and they need another blueliner on the PK. The fit seems perfect. He loves to throw the body, blocks shots and is right-handed. Plus, he is only 29 years old, so he could play alongside Rielly for several years.
Dumba has 61 blocks and 84 hits this season; however, he usually ends up with around 85–100 blocks and 90–110 hits. The Maple Leafs have Simon Benoit, who can do this, but no other defenceman comes to mind that can do both. Mark Giordano is a block machine, but at his age, he is in and out of the lineup.
This should put Dumba at the top of Treliving’s target list ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Additionally, he has spent 125.5 minutes on the PK, which would put him ahead of T.J. Brodie, who has 119.4 minutes. The Arizona Coyotes are taking a step in the right direction, but they are still outside the playoff picture. This should be a team that Treliving checks in with to find out the asking price.
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Unfortunately, Dumba’s cap hit is $3.9 million, which isn’t huge, but given the Maple Leafs’ cap situation, it may be difficult to take on the full amount if the Coyotes don’t retain any salary. However, there could be a way to make it work, which would involve a roster player. The Maple Leafs have Joseph Woll returning from injury after the 2024 All-Star Weekend from Feb. 3–5, which means they will have three goalies. The Coyotes might be interested in Ilya Samsonov to play with Connor Ingram. If so, in this player swap, the cap hits aren’t so different: Samsonov at $3.55 million and Dumba at $3.9 million. If they aren’t interested, the deal would most likely require a higher-round pick, AHL talent, and/or a mid-tier prospect.
Overall, the Maple Leafs need help on their PK, especially if they want to make a run at the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, teams with struggling special teams don’t usually make the playoffs, and if they do, their time there isn’t very long. This means that Treliving and his staff need to get creative and find a way to improve their PK, and I believe these two targets can help with that.
Statistics from Covers and Hockey Reference.