Right-defense, in particular, was already a big area of concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Given Nikita Zaitsev’s days with the team appear to be numbered – he recently requested a trade – and veteran Ron Hainsey remains unsigned, the state of the right-side is looking even bleaker.
Justin Holl is currently the only right-defender under contract who has NHL experience. That spans just 13 games, and the 27-year-old has only played sheltered minutes on the bottom-pairing.
With Travis Dermott sidelined to start the year, Mike Babcock won’t have the option of shifting him to his off-side in an effort to shore things up.