Leafs Lose Out on Top Toronto-Born Free Agent Defenseman

Though Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs did well for their future by adding big named free agents John Prokop and Luke Haymes out of the NCAA, there are still several players available for the taking including Karsen Dorwart, T.J. Hughes, and Caleb MacDonald.

It's the latter however that's getting a lot of attention as a big-bodied offensive defenseman who could be a threat for years to come.

There were several teams in the running for the Toronto-born blue liner, but one team came out victorious in the signing sweepstakes.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been on a signing frenzy in the last couple of days. First they signed Jake Williams; one of the top centers in the NCAA, and now have added MacDonald to their ranks.

While he won't jump straight to the show like Williams will, there's no doubt he can add a lot to the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate, and could fight for a last-minute spot at training camp.

GM Don Waddell was very excited to add MacDonald to his list of prospects as well:

MacDonald had 10 points in 35 games (3G, 7A) and faced a lot tougher competition in college. However, previous to playing for North Dakota, he had 92 points in 116 games (15G, 77A) for Whitecourt of the AJHL.

He's a big boy at 6'3, 224 pounds and still has some room to grow, and could be an absolute unit on the blue line for years to come in Ohio. It's a shame that Toronto wasn't able to pick him up, as he fits the criteria of a Craig Berube/Brad Treliving type player.

But while Toronto moves on from MacDonald, they can still look toward Dorwart and Hughes as potential options to beef their prospect system a bit more. If Treliving can pull off either of these signings, it'll set up the Leafs nicely in a few seasons.

Now it's up to Caleb MacDonald to show Columbus that they need not regret signing him, and we'll truly see how badly Toronto missed out in a few years.