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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving had the reputation of liking defensemen with size and a bit of an edge from his days in Calgary, and that trend has continued through slightly over one season on the job with Toronto.
Most of the moves made to add some beef to the blueline has come on the edges, such as the depth addition of Simon Benoit last summer. The former Duck threw his 6’4” frame at the opposition at many occasions last season and earned himself a three-year contract extension.
At the deadline, the Leafs added big veterans Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson for the playoff drive, but an under-the-radar move was the acquisition of Cade Webber’s rights from Carolina. The Hurricanes 2019 fourth-round pick was completing his senior season at Boston University, meaning that if they did not sign him by July 1, he could become an unrestricted free agent on August 15. The 6’7”, 208 lb. Webber was a shot-blocking extraordinaire in the NCAA, but will need time in the AHL.
Free agent signings Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, Nicolas Mattinen, Philippe Myers, (and possibly Jani Hakanpaa) are all 6’2” or over, 2024 first-rounder Ben Danford is 6’1”, and 2023 sixth-rounder Noah Chadwick is 6’4”.
The latest “big” add was Ryan McCleary, signed to an AHL deal by the Toronto Marlies last week. The 20-year-old is 6’3”, 182 lbs. and was a seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021. After going unsigned in 2023, the Swift Current, Saskatchewan native played for his hometown Broncos last season, scoring 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) and 73 penalty minutes in 56 games and will likely start with Cincinnati in the ECHL next season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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