Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn't target Drew Doughty

Drew Doughty is a Norris-winning defenseman and one of the biggest free agent targets in a few years. Here’s why the Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn’t be the one to sign him.

Let’s get one thing straight. If the Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t a part of a hard cap system, they absolutely should sign Drew Doughty. He’s one of the best free agents available this offseason, and he’s won a Norris trophy. But the cap puts them in a hard place, especially when considering outside help.

The fit is obvious. Doughty is a Norris Trophy winner and the Leafs need some help defensively. Moreover, head coach Mike Babcock and Doughty know each other very well. However, here’s why the Leafs might not want to sign him.

Cap Situation

More from Puck Prose

Signing Doughty away from the Los Angeles Kings would take a lot of money, and a good amount of term. Perhaps eight to nine million for eight years. Doughty should get that contract – he’s one of the most valuable defensemen in the NHL and is only 27. That’s not a contract any team would regret having on the books.

But the Toronto Maple Leafs might be an exception. Giving Doughty that contract puts a limit on what they can give their offensive trio of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander.

Nylander is a restricted free agent this year and should get a lot more than his current $894,000. Marner and Matthews both enter restricted free agency after the 2018-19 season, and Matthews will have to be paid at least $10 million. Marner and Nylander could have matching $6 million cap hits, but that’s optimistic.

That’s $26 million that will have to be dished out. Adding $9 million on top of that is too much for a team that hasn’t won a Cup. Look at the Edmonton Oilers – if the Maple Leafs dish out the amount of money they’re on track for with the trio and Doughty, that could be them.

Short-Term

Yes, enough money comes off the books over the next two years for that to be seemingly reasonable. But if the Maple Leafs get access to all of that money, they lose great players like James Van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak. While they’ll be able to bring up players like Frederik Gauthier and Kasperi Kapanen to replace these losses, it remains to be seen whether the younger players can have the same impact.

It just doesn’t make financial sense right now for the Toronto Maple Leafs to target a high-end name like Doughty. Not with the hard cap that isn’t going up enough to justify that purchase.

Other Possible Targets

Which brings up the fact that there are other names out there this free agency who could be brought in for less and succeed in the same role. Names like John Carlson and Mike Green are out there and would sign a lot cheaper. Carlson especially would be a great name for the Toronto Maple Leafs to go get. Hell, Luca Sbisa has improved his game in Vegas, and if the Maple Leafs want to go a more defensive route, Sbisa would be the choice.

Green is 32 and is still putting up points. He has 18 in 26 this season, with two goals and 16 assists. He’s playing 23 minutes a night and has 28 blocks. His problems are that he turns the puck over too much (40 times so far) and plays more offensive minutes than defensive minutes. That’s not the kind of player the Leafs should be looking for.

Carlson has been playing a good amount of minutes – 26:39 on average this season. He has the exact same stat line as Green: 2-16–18. But he’s done it against better competition with more defensive minutes. Carlson’s name isn’t as big as it should be, and that’s why the Maple Leafs would be able to get him for much cheaper than they should. If the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a player like Doughty, Carlson would be the guy to target.

Sbisa doesn’t have the same offensive stat line, with just 1-7–8. But he plays valuable minutes against top-tier competition and would be a cheap signing that could play depth minutes as well. He would replace a few players and could be a shorter term choice.

Future

The last reason the Maple Leafs should consider not signing Doughty is that Matthews, Marner, and Nylander aren’t the only ones who will need to be re-signed.

Jake Gardiner will need a new contract in two years. Connor Carrick becomes a restricted free agent this offseason. The Leafs will have to decide if they want to bring Calvin Pickard to the majors or let him walk after restricted free agency.

Next: Maple Leafs' Bold Predictions

And then there are prospects who need to develop in the NHL. Players like Calle Rosen, Timothy Liljegren, Travis Dermott, and Rinat Valiev. The Toronto Maple Leafs also have Igor Ozhiganov in Russia. There are multiple chances to grow the team from within. Why go outside for a job that can be done by someone already in the Maple Leafs’ organization?

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn’t target Drew Doughty

By Shepard Price | Dec 4, 2017