Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei emerges as the ideal Maple Leafs UFA target
Heading into NHL free agency the Toronto Maple Leafs need to prioritize upgrading on defense and today a perfect free-agent candidate to add to the team has emerged.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to find consistency on defense during their time being a competitive team. With much of the attention being paid to the core forward group the defense has been left behind. This offseason that is expected to change with at least one big time free agent on defense expected to come in.
One name to keep an eye on is Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei. A recent article by The Hockey News took a look into several candidates to join the Maple Leafs including Brady Skjei. He is expected to be a free agent and the Hurricanes are expected to allow him to leave. Brady Skjei is a consistent 30 to 40-point scorer on defense who will likely demand a high price tag despite being 30 years old.
Big shot from the point, big frame, good defensively, has generally avoided injury throughout his career.
He and McCabe would be one of the better all-around pairs in the league.
I'd give him up to 6 years at the Rielly AAV or even a bit more
A six-year deal for Brady Skjei would carry significant risk. The plan would likely be for him to play with a player like Jake McCabe so that Brady Skjei could focus more on the offensive side of things.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to make this investment into Brady Skjei they need to be certain he will mesh well with their existing group and be able to contribute from year one. If they waste any of the early years of his contract figuring out how to come together the later years could look even more regrettable.
With free agency less than a month away the Toronto Maple Leafs need to begin making a plan for who they will target and Brady Skjei should be part of that plan.
Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Pending UFA Brady Skjei may be the ideal target for the Maple Leafs
| POLL | ||
Do you want the Toronto Maple Leafs to sign Brady Skjei? | ||
| Yes | 238 | 61.2 % |
| No | 151 | 38.8 % |
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