Someone on the Maple Leafs blue line is going to leave training camp disappointed

The Toronto Maple Leafs blue line will have a very disappointed player considering there are several defenders who are fighting for limited spots in the lineup.

Toronto made waves this offseason with a flurry of moves, which included making their defence a bit younger and a lot more mobile. They added Darren Raddysh, Emil Andrae, and brought in Nick Blankenburg on a PTO meanwhile dealt away names like Simon Benoit and Brandon Carlo.

But there's already spots filled by lineup locks like Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, with only a couple of spots on the third-pair and as part of the team's depth insurance.

One defender is going to be left out after training camp

That means training camp is going to be critical to see who has the edge and talent to push past not only that competition but also push Toronto to be a better overall team.

Currently there are five defenders on Toronto who are going to make the team in 2026-27:

- Morgan Rielly
- Darren Raddysh
- Jake McCabe
- Chris Tanev
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson

That only leaves one spot on the third pair, and there are several names who are going to be fighting for those last couple:

- Troy Stecher
- Emil Andrae
- Nick Blankenburg (PTO)
- Philippe Myers

Stecher has a bit of a leg up given he played heavy minutes last season and earned himself an extension, but Andrae also is a much younger player who offers great analytics, puck-movement, and surprising physicality for a player who is only listed at 5-foot-9.

Toronto also sought out Andrae when they traded Joseph Woll to Philadelphia, so it's clear they want to see what he offers. Blankenburg was offered a PTO after a solid season in 2025-26, and he provides yet another mobile, puck-moving option who loves to get physical and does everything he can to help his team win.

That defender is Philippe Myers

That means Myers is the one on the outside looking in. He was brought in during the summer of 2024, but his time in Toronto has been less than spectacular. He had seven points in 75 games with a minus-10 in only 14:33.

Expected to add some size and physicality to the blue line, Myers was more of a defensive liability than anything, and last year saw him out of position more often than not. He also costs $850,000 and for the cap-strapped Leafs - every dollar helps.

Toronto would likely prefer Blankenburg's upside to Myers' and could use Myers' salary to pay Blankenburg instead. Myers is nothing more than extreme depth at this point, and with him already reaching 30, it's hard to see him finding meaningful minutes going forward.

It's an unfortunate end for Myers in Toronto but he was given more than enough chances to prove himself yet couldn't. With other names available and offering more overall, Myers is the odd man out for the Maple Leafs.

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