A potential Toronto Maple Leafs waiver pickup has been claimed by Nashville, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman’s latest report. Who is the mystery man?
If the Maple Leafs want to add some much-needed defensive help, they’ll have to look at other than Andreas Englund — who the Predators claimed off waivers after he was placed by the Kings on Sunday.
Englund has one goal and zero assists in 11 games with Los Angeles this season.
So, with Nashville staking claim to the defensemen — What could be Toronto’s next move?
Toronto Needs To Shift Gears And Focus On Adding Premium Defenseman
Plainly and simply, the Leafs need help for Morgan Rielly. While he did have a much better game in Vancouver, this season has been very inconsistent and he needs someone to help when he’s caught slacking.
It’s not to say that Englund would have been the be all to end all for the Maple Leafs and Rielly, but he would have certainly helped.
After breaking out last season where he had one goal and nine assists in 82 games, he’s struggled this season to find any place in the lineup. With Drew Doughty back in the fold, he ended up being the casualty at the end of the day.
Drafted 40th overall by the Senators in 2014, he has yet to find consistent playing time in his career.
In 173 career games, he has two goals and 16 assists but also adds 147 blocks and 426 hits in that span, so he’s a bruiser-type that would have fit perfectly with Craig Berube’s system.
So, without him, Toronto needs to shift gears and get someone it knows can make a difference.
