It’s official, the NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. While many anticipated the Toronto Maple Leafs try to do something big, they did most of their shopping in advance, bringing in size and a strong defensive presence in Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson. With talk about bringing in another right shot defenseman, they went and addressed their bottom-six on deadline day, acquiring Connor Dewar from the Minnesota Wild.
While it may seem like a move that may not offer much on the surface, Dewar brings a lot more to the table for a team’s bottom-six that could use a burst of energy, consistency and steady play. Given how there has been a revolving door of players on the fourth line, not many have shown their value or worth to try and stay in the lineup.
Dewar has been able to cast himself as a key part on the Wild defensive situations. He’s young (24 years old) and has quickly become a steady depth player early on in his career. He’s a restricted free agent as he’s in the final year of his contract with an $800,000 cap hit, but if he excels in the postseason, he could be much more valuable as a player who can play in big situations.
Dewar Improves Depth and PK
It’s no secret that the Maple Leafs defensive play within their own end, especially on the penalty kill has been abysmal this season. They’re 20th in the league in goals against per game with 3.13 and are 22nd in penalty kill with 77.4%. Considering they’re a very lethal offensive team, the lack of defensive depth has been a major concern from game one.
They needed to add a forward who can be positionally sound and have a combination of some offensive in the defensive zone. Dewar has shown that he can be that player as the numbers can back it up. Whether it’s with his retrievals, desire to pressure and break up plays on the penalty kill or have a strong transition game, it’s one that can benefit the Maple Leafs.
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