Toronto Maple Leafs a Viable Option for Both Defensemen Placed on Waivers by the Vancouver Canucks?

PUBLICATION

Chris Gerics
September 26, 2024 (3:34 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Toronto Maple Leafs could look to sign Guillaume Brisebois and Jett Woo to AHL deals as both defenseman were placed on waivers by the Canucks on Thursday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs added some serious firepower this offseason with the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. This along with Jani Hakanpaa's eventual return to the lineup means the Maple Leafs will have a much different look on the blue line come October. However, two recent players that were put on waivers could give the Maple Leafs a bit of extra insurance and they fit the mold that Craig Berube and Brad Treliving want in their roster.

It was announced on Thursday by Elliotte Friedman on X that the Vancouver Canucks placed defensemen Guillaume Brisebois and Jett Woo on waivers.

While the names don't necessarily stick out on paper, both players have something to offer Berube and the Maple Leafs if they so choose to pick them up. Woo, the 37th overall pick in 2018 has had a solid, if unspectacular time with Abbotsford of the AHL, scoring 16 goals and 44 assists in 172 games for the junior Canucks, however he's offensively gifted having a stellar final two seasons in the WHL where he had 66 and 46 points with Moose Jaw and Calgary respectively. He's 6'1 and 205 pounds, and is definitely still able to gain some size given some time. He's a right handed shot, something Toronto could always use more of, and he's only 24 years old, which is still young enough to give him both conditioning and a chance to break the main roster.

Brisebois, drafted 66th overall in 2015 has been on the NHL roster for a cup of coffee from 2018-2023 where he played in 27 games and registered a goal and 2 assists. He's been in the AHL system since 2017 and hasn't really found his footing amongst the Canuck defenders; being labelled as more of a shutdown defenseman but still able to score as evident by his QMJHL days where he averaged 30 points for Acadie-Bathurst and Charlottetown. He could offer the Maple Leafs another defensive option in the AHL to put alongside names like Topi Niemala and Cade Webber, not to mention Noah Chadwick when he eventually comes up. His one downfall is that he's 27 and while it's not necessarily a death sentence, him being unable to find solid footing in the league yet has to have some concerned. He's also a bit undersized as a defender and if he does get picked up by Toronto would need to add a bit of muscle first.

While the Maple Leafs do have a solid contingent of defenders, GM Brad Treliving is quoted as saying:

"You can never have too many defensemen, you just can't if you want to get to where you want to get."

Well, if Treliving wanted to live up to that motto he could find himself signing one or both of these defensemen. Woo would be the better of the two options given his size advantage, shot handedness, and age which all play well into the future of the Maple Leafs defensive corps. Brisebois would be a decent addition to the AHL team but the team would be hard pressed to offer him a spot unless he completely blows them out of the water.

They aren't the flashiest names on the market, and Toronto does currently have a cap situation they need to work through, but if they wanted to add some defensive insurance, they just need to look West.