Brad Treliving, the Toronto Maple Leafs' general manager, confirmed what he looks for in a defenseman.
An obvious pattern in the Leafs' signings at the blue line since he joined the team has been highlighted by a post on X, listing Treliving's acquiitions by height.
Max Lajoie, at 6'1", is the smallest defenseman signed by Treliving, while Cade Webber and Nicolas Mattinen, at 6'6" are the tallests.
"🖊 We've signed defenseman Nicolas Mattinen to a one-year, two-way contract beginning in 2024-25"
With the Flames, Treliving used the same strategy. When he left the team, the blue line was very big, with Nikita Zadorov (6'6"), Chris Tanev (6'2"), and Noah Hanifin (6'3"). However, he only managed to win three playoff rounds in nine seasons.
Considering that the Leafs' have a lot of firepower in their forward lines, getting defensemen who can physically back them up is very important. We'll see how this pays off in the playoffs and the coming seasons.