Former Maple Leafs target is off the board after signing with the Blue Jackets

The Pittsburgh Penguins waived Egor Zamula shortly after acquiring him for forward Philip Tomasino, and it kicked off a slot of speculation over who would sign the young defenseman.

Knowing that he was set to become a free agent, the Toronto Maple Leafs were a team who could use him due to their growing list of injuries and the fact he's young enough to stick around for a bit.

However it was not to be as it seems like Zamula wants to stay in the Metropolitan Division as he decided to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets only moments after clearing waivers on Tuesday.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman broke the news on X:

He signs a deal worth $1-million according to salary-cap gurus PuckPedia, and it will give him a chance to help the Blue Jackets push for a playoff spot in a tight race.

While he isn't the fastest on the ice, he's shown some real glimpses of being a shutdown defender who makes life miserable for opponents and puts all of his 6'3, 200+ pound frame to good use.

Zamula has 168 games played with the Philadelphia Flyers; who signed him to an amateur tryout back in the 2021 season. He's registered 41 points (8 goals, 33 assists), 218 blocks, but holds a minus-12 rating so far in his young career.

This leaves the Maple Leafs struggling to figure out who to target next, as Zamula would have been a cheap option to help while the team deals with several injuries to their defensive group.

Zamula will not get a chance to play the Maple Leafs at least as long as he's on Columbus, as the two teams have already finished their season series. But if he's moved again at the deadline; they should look again at trying to pick him up.

For now though he moves within the Metropolitan Division and gets his fresh start meanwhile Toronto misses out on yet another potential impact player due to their lack of proactiveness.