With the mounting injuries on defense for the Maple Leafs, they could look for help from a former rival as Cameron Crotty hit hit waiver wire on Monday afternoon.
The hand is hovering over the panic button in Toronto right now, as injuries continue to grow and the team just got flat-out embarrassed by the New Jersey Devils 4-0 in front of their own crowd. It's rough times if you're a Maple Leafs fans, and things are getting worse by the day.
Their defensive corps has been thinned out considerably, and now with the news that Ben Danford has broken his wrist and is out indefinitely - it's gone from bad to worse.
They need at least some bodies to help give them a fighting chance, and they'll need to find cheap alternatives in order to get some much-needed insurance and thankfully the waiver wire holds the answer.
Maple Leafs' blue line insurance just hit the waiver wire
Minnesota waived Cameron Crotty only a short time after claiming him from the Ottawa Senators. Crotty didn't appear in a game for the Wild, and has appeared sparingly for Ottawa though has played one game against the Leafs in his career.
Crotty, 27, is a 6-foot-3, 212-pound defender who gives the Maple Leafs some much needed size, shot-blocking and most importantly - another body. He has one assist in 11 career games (all with Ottawa) but you're mainly looking for insurance - not the next superstar.
He only costs $812,500 and is a pending free agent, so he doesn't mess with the Maple Leafs' tagging rules restrictions as his contract doesn't count for next season. With help needed and minimal bodies to fill those roles, Crotty makes a lot of sense.
Toronto needs to be patient if they want to add Crotty however
Though the team would absolutely love to have him, there's a strong chance he ends up back in Ottawa. The team has the first rights to reclaim him given the timeline when he was claimed and re-assigned and there's a strong chance he does come back:
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There is a chance however they don't at which point the Maple Leafs would get an earlier crack at him given that waivers follows a reverse standings format (last place team gets first choice, etc.)
Toronto needs a lot of help on the blue line and they can't really find a way to get it with the way their current financial situation is. Crotty would be a great fit that makes sense in all facets - they just have to make sure their old rivals don't nab him first.
Should the Maple Leafs claim Cameron Crotty off waivers if he becomes available?
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