New GM John Chayka has reshaped the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster in his first few months on the job, and particularly the blue line. In comes Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae, out goes Simon Benoit and Brandon Carlo.
There will certainly be a new look to the defense corps in 2026-27 as a result, however, former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau doesn’t necessarily think it will be for the best. He believes Toronto’s aging back end will ultimately be what holds them back from returning to the postseason next year.
“I really don’t think they will. I want them to — there’s a big difference there. Because I just don’t think their defense is good enough yet. I think it’s old, and with 84 games, I think it’s going to be tough sledding on those guys. Berube wanted to have a real good defensive team. Hiller in LA had a good defensive team. But I mean, these guys have still got to get the puck to the forwards if they want to score, so you’ve got to play a little more upbeat, and I don’t think they can. And that worries me a little bit,”
The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs by 21 points in 2025-26, though it ultimately helped them win the draft lottery and land Gavin McKenna with the first-overall pick.
Boudreau is right when it comes to the age on Toronto’s blue line. Their five most prominent defensemen — Raddysh, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly, and Chris Tanev — are all in their 30s.
There remains buzz about a possible Rielly trade, though the chances of that happening feel less and less likely as we inch closer to training camp.
The Maple Leafs certainly have a number of big names on defense, but whether they’ll be able to come together and prove that age is just a number remains to be seen. As Boudreau notes, it could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs in a loaded Atlantic Division.
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