While they may not have come that close to landing him, the Toronto Maple Leafs were certainly one of the teams in the running for Rasmus Andersson before he was ultimately dealt to Vegas on Sunday night.
That shouldn’t be a surprise given their search for a right defenseman, with Chris Tanev likely out for the season, and while they missed out on Andersson incentives to some extent, the trade might have opened up a new, more realistic target: Zach Whitecloud.
The depth defenseman was sent to Calgary as part of the return package for Andersson, and insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has reported that GM Craig Conroy has already received calls on Whitecloud since the trade fell through. Pagnotta also said he expects the Flames to consider flipping him before the deadline.
said Pagnotta:
“Shortly after word spread that the Flames had moved Andersson, several teams contacted Calgary GM Craig Conroy about defenseman Zach Whitecloud, acquired from the Knights and who has two years left on his contract at a very attractive $2.75 million cap hit.
While there are obviously no guarantees that a move will be made here, I think Conroy will consider turning around the 29-year-old backline between now and the March 6 trade deadline – he has options and more will emerge,”
As Pagnotta notes, the 29-year-old Whitecloud is in the fourth year of the six-year, $16.5 million extension he signed with the Golden Knights in 2021. He scored seven points (two goals, five assists) while being a physical presence with 73 hits and 63 blocks in 47 games this season.
Zach Whitecloud fits Toronto’s wants and needs
Given the lack of draft picks, prospects and capital space at GM Brad Treliving’s disposal, Whitecloud, at $2.75 million per year (or even less if Calgary retains some salary), lands much more in the Maple Leafs’ ballpark when it comes to spending before the deadline.
He certainly won’t come close to replacing Tanev’s value, but Whitecloud is a big body who offers solid defensive play and plenty of playoff experience, having been part of Vegas’ Stanley Cup-winning team from 2022-2023.
While Andersson or other bigger names like Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk and Connor Murphy would make sense for Toronto, targeting a cheaper option like Whitecloud might be the smarter and more strategic move given the circumstances.
Next: Forget the floating Nylander trade: Maple Leafs can land D-Man another way
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