Maple Leafs to chase Star Defenseman this Upcoming Summer

The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the most lethal forward groups in the NHL, but with the blue line lacking in a massive way, it doesn't appear that they are yet ready for a deep Stanley Cup run.

A big-time solution for Toronto may be coming this summer

According to a recent report, the Maple Leafs may have found a major solution this upcoming summer however, with reports that they will target veteran blue liner Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes.




With 612 games under his belt and plenty of mileage left on his body, Pesce would be the perfect top-four addition for Toronto's blue line, as he brings size, leadership and talent to a group that's desperate for all of those attributes.

Pesce's current cap hit comes in at just over $4 million in the final year of a six-year deal, but he hits free agency at the perfect time, as he is one of the top available players at the position. Reports indicate that his next contract is likely to be above the $6 million per season mark, meaning that there will be plenty of teams looking to secure his services.

If they can't make a deep push in the playoffs this season, the pressure ramps up even more for Toronto in the summer, and if they don't land Pesce, it's unclear at this point who they would look to pivot too.

As Read on Maple Leafs Daily - Leafs expected to pursue pending free agent defenseman aggressively this summer