Elliotte Friedman: Pesce and Montour linked to the Maple Leafs
The renowned insider Elliotte Friedman linked Brett Pesce and Brandon Montour to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It's no secret that changes are coming to the Leafs organization, and fans can expect the general manager Brad Treliving to do something about the lingering issues at the blue line.
Many interesting players are set to become available on July 1st, and Elliotte Friedman believes that the Leafs are in a great position to get at least one top pairing defenseman.
According to him, if Brandon Montour of the Florida Panthers and Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes end up on the free agent market, the Leafs would be interested in signing at least one of them:
Montour, 30, scored 33 points this season in 66 games with the Panthers. He brings an offensive and physical presence to the blue line. Currently earning $3.5M a year, he'll look to get a raise in his next contract, and the Leafs could be in a posittion to afford him.
As for Pesce, he's more of a defensive defenseman. He scored 13 points in 70 games this season, in the last year of his $4.025 AAV contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Both players fit in what Treliving likes in defensemen: physically imposing players who can be relied on to defend in important moments.
With the Leafs possibly trading a few key pieces this summer, they could free up enough cap space to sign Montour and Pesce.
Would you like to see the Toronto Maple Leafs trade for Brandon Montour or Brett Pesce?
Source: Daily Hockey Dose - Maple Leafs showing interest in two veteran defenseman this off-season
| POLL | ||
Would you like to see the Toronto Maple Leafs trade for Brandon Montour or Brett Pesce? | ||
| Yes | 684 | 79.4 % |
| No | 177 | 20.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
