Maple Leafs Risk Losing Promising Young Defenceman on Waivers This Season

With Brad Treliving stocking up his AHL squad this summer, there is going to be a lot of competition from new faces coming in, as well as stark competition from those currently on the team battling for a better spot in the lineup.

Among those are William Villeneuve, who is a solid two-way defenseman who has grown in his game and is fairly close to making the leap to the Leafs.

However, Toronto's defense is log jammed currently with their six main defenders being locked up and firmly set in their spot, and with other names like Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers in the depth spots, it's hard to find a spot.

He could impress during camp, however is he a restricted free agent and is going to be subject to waivers if Toronto needs to make room, so they should probably take a look at dealing him out.

If he's waived, he can be claimed by another team which means Toronto gets no asset return, and even at this point they'll take anything.

It's not personal, and there's nothing to say that Villeneuve can't be an impactful player for an NHL team in the future, but for now Toronto seems focused on what they have, and they'll have it for awhile.

Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, and Brandon Carlo are all on multi-year deals, and if Benoit can put together a regular season reminiscent of his playoff performance, he's due for a long-term extension too.

Plus they have Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Henry Thrun, and Matt Benning who all have NHL experience and offer different levels of age, experience and skillsets that allow a lot of flexibility if injuries become a problem.

So selling on the hype of Villeneuve, a player who is on the cusp of making it but is being pushed out is enticing for young teams who are looking to add a third-pairing defender with a lot of potential.

Villeneuve, 23, was drafted 122nd overall by the Maple Leafs in 2020 and has put together a decent Marlies career. In 165 games, he's put up 90 points (9 goals, 81 assists), a plus-28 rating but has a bit of a discipline issue with 117 PIM as well.

Dishing him off to a team like Utah, Pittsburgh, or Seattle make a lot of sense, and Villeneuve might end up surprising his new team.

But he seems like he'll be on the outs, and Toronto needs to at least get something for him instead of losing him for nothing.