The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a strong 2024-25 season and seem poised to make a deep run into the playoffs this season, especially after some additions to their roster that have worked out well for them this season. They brought in Christopher Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to bolster their defensive depth and signed goaltender Anthony Stolarz to give them some much-needed depth between the pipes.
All three of those additions have worked out extremely well for them and they have seemingly filled every hole in their lineup as the 2025 Trade Deadline approaches. However, one defender might be available that they should consider buying low on as a project, especially if the asking price is as low as pundit Bruce Garrioch claims it is in a recent article, which is just a prospect in return.
Jacob Bernard-Docker, who currently plays for the Ottawa Senators, is a 24-year-old right-shot defender from Canmore, Alberta. He was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft at 26th overall after a solid showing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with the Okotoks Oilers where he scored 20 goals and added 21 assists for 41 points through 49 games. He joined the University of North Dakota in the NCAA for the 2018-19 season where he scored five goals and added 12 assists for 17 points through 36 games in his rookie season with them.
He followed it up with an even stronger offensive showing in the 2019-20 season where he scored seven goals and added 18 assists for 25 points through 32 games, even earning the opportunity to represent Canada at the U20 World Junior Championship. His final campaign in the NCAA, the 2020-21 season, was strong as well. He scored three goals and added 15 assists for 18 points through 27 games while representing the team as an assistant captain, and joined the Senators at the end of the season. He played five NHL games that season, notching zero points.
Since then, he has moved up and down between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) and has done well at both levels, but not well enough to maintain a full-time spot at the NHL level. At the time of this article, he has scored four goals and added 11 assists for 14 points through 101 games in the AHL which comes out to a 0.15 points-per-game average. In the NHL, he has scored five goals and added 15 assists for 20 points through 129 games which comes out to a 0.16 points-per-game average. He has established himself as a more defensive-minded defender who can play well in a depth role, but with the emergence of younger players in the organization, Bernard-Docker is the odd man out.
Maple Leafs Should Buy Low, Take Bernard-Docker as Reclamation Project
Bernard-Docker not having a full-time spot on the Senators’ roster isn’t a fault of his lackluster play, but rather the fact some younger skilled defenders are outplaying him. He has always been fighting to keep his spot in the NHL, so a change of scenery could be exactly what he needs to stabilize himself at the NHL level. Realistically, the two teams could swap players who need a change of scenery with Bernard-Docker heading to the Maple Leafs, and Nicholas Robertson heading to the Senators.
Regardless of what a deal could look like, the reported asking price is something teams should be looking at as a steal. Bernard-Docker has tons of potential and could be the steal of the 2025 Trade Deadline if he pans out and can prove he is worthy of being a bottom-pairing defender that can be used in any situation. There are just 10 days until the trade deadline, which is plenty of time to consider options and get a deal done.
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