New Right-Shot Defense Target Has Emerged for Maple Leafs

While they might not have come all that close to landing him, the Toronto Maple Leafs were certainly one of the teams in the running for Rasmus Andersson before he was ultimately dealt to Vegas on Sunday night.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given their search for a right-shot defenseman with Chris Tanev likely out for the season, and while missing out on Andersson stings to some degree, the trade might actually have opened up a new, more realistic target: Zach Whitecloud.

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The depth defenseman was sent to Calgary as a part of the return package for Andersson, and insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has reported that GM Craig Conroy has already received calls on Whitecloud since the trade went down. Pagnotta also mentioned that he expects the Flames to consider flipping him before the deadline.

Pagnotta said:

“Soon after word spread that the Flames moved Andersson, several teams reached out to Calgary GM Craig Conroy about defenceman Zach Whitecloud, whom he acquired from the Knights and has two years left on his deal at a very appealing $2.75 million cap hit.

While there are obviously no guarantees a move is made here, I believe Conroy will consider flipping the 29-year-old rearguard between now and the March 6 trade deadline – he has options and more will appear,”

As Pagnotta notes, the 29-year-old Whitecloud is in year four of the six-year, $16.5 million extension he signed with the Golden Knights back in 2021. He’s produced seven points (two goals, five assists) while providing a physical presence with 73 hits and 63 blocks in 47 games this season.

Zach Whitecloud Fits Toronto’s Wants and Needs

Given the lack of draft picks, prospects, and cap space GM Brad Treliving has at his disposal, Whitecloud at $2.75 million annually—or even less if Calgary retains some salary—lands much more squarely in the Maple Leafs’ ballpark when it comes to spending ahead of the deadline.

He certainly won’t come close to replacing the value of Tanev, but Whitecloud is a big body who offers a solid defensive game and plenty of playoff experience, having been part of Vegas’ 2022–23 Stanley Cup-winning team.

While Andersson or other bigger names like Dougie Hamilton, Justin Faulk, and Connor Murphy would make sense for Toronto, targeting a lower-cost option like Whitecloud could prove to be the smarter and more strategic move given the circumstances.

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