Chris Johnston of the Athletic noted that Benoit’s name has been making the rounds in NHL circles as a player the Leafs are dangling in trade talks. About Benoit, Johnston wrote:
Benoit is a prototypical defensive back who puts his body on the line by blocking shots and physically playing opponents. He’s had a few scratches lately. The Leafs have a number of depth options at the position and Benoit represents a player who could bring back some value with a cap-friendly contract that runs next season. That’s the main reason why his name has been making the rounds recently. What you see is what you get with Benoit, who has extremely limited offensive impact.
Benoit is the latest Leaf player to appear on The Athletic’s trade board this season, after Brandon Carlo and Morgan Rielly were on the trade board in November, while Matias Maccelli topped the list for two months in a row. Considering the team’s inconsistent play throughout the season and the fact that they are not guaranteed to make the playoffs, it is understandable why Leafs players are prominently featured on trade boards.
At the top of Johnston’s trading board is Artemi Panarin, while other notable names include Nazem Kadri, Dougie Hamilton and Luke Schenn.
Benoit’s inclusion comes at a time when he is once again struggling to find his feet on a nightly basis, with numerous occasions seeing him boxed in in his own end due to grueling goals conceded. This is not a new occurrence for the defender, who struggled for much of last season before turning it all around in the play-offs, capped off by two winning goals in extra time. The difference this time is that the Leafs backend is quite busy, while reports suggest it is looking to add a puck-moving defenseman.
Benoit has three assists, 104 hits and 67 blocks in 41 games played so far this season.
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