Pavel Mintyukov is getting squeezed out of Anaheim and Toronto is the perfect landing spot

Anaheim has too many defenders to handle this summer; Pavel Mintyukov could be a key piece in the Maple Leafs' target in their retool.

The current situation with the Anaheim Ducks is that they have too many talented defensemen and not enough minutes to go around for the players who deserve them but one really intriguing name is Pavel Mintyukov. The 22-year-old Russian defenseman has good defensive instincts and some intriguing offensive upside to his game without a defined spot in the lineup.

This allows the Toronto Maple Leafs to swoop in and potentially pick up one of the fantastic defensemen that the Anaheim Ducks currently possess and according to a report by Elliotte Friedman, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has a really interesting conundrum on his hands.

Anaheim's defensive logjam could open the door for Toronto to add their young puck-moving blueliner

Verbeek has the option to keep all the kids on the roster; he has them under contract or can match any offer sheet that gets brought to them as an RFA, but things might get interesting with there being not enough minutes and dollars to potentially go around:

All these kids wanna play; Pat Verbeek can just say, I'm gonna keep you all, but...when you're that age you wanna play; it'll be interesting to see how Verbeek handles that.

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Now, they do have three free agent defensemen in Radko Gudas, Jacob Trouba, and John Carlson this offseason; however, they also have four other players hitting free agency this season as well, and six other players hitting restricted free agency, including one Cutter Gauthier.

With Anaheim set to see a team experience a potential massive amount of turnover, as well as players getting pay raises, it could see them part with one of their RFAs in hopes of signing other players and allocating assets elsewhere.

Now Anaheim has a boatload of cap space at this present moment. According to Puckpedia, $38.773 million in available cap space. But someone like Gauthier, Trouba, and Carlson could all see contracts nearing eight figures a season, and most certainly for the winger who had 41 goals last season.

This potentially works in the Leafs' favour, as Mintyukov is an RFA and could be someone the Ducks sell to afford other pieces of the roster and get some cheaper and potentially more affordable assets.

How Pavel Mintyukov makes the Maple Leafs blueline better right away

To make a case on why he fits the Leafs, Toronto needs youth, speed, and someone who is pro-ready right now to contribute defensively; they do have a good defensive prospect in Ben Danford, who looked impressive in the AHL playoffs, but Toronto needs players now and pro-ready ones in abundance.

The current pick situation is dire; the Leafs have no point in bottoming out the next two seasons, as their 2027 and 2028 first-round-picks belong to the Flyers and Bruins respectively.

Mintyukov could be a very effective part of the solution for this re-tool on the fly; the former 10th overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft shone in his rookie season with 28 points, but has failed to reach that mark again in his next two seasons.

However, with Toronto's situation, he could see that production go up, being surrounded by better talents on offense, and if given more opportunity with the blueline in Scotiabank Arena.

Here is a proposed trade for the young defenseman: Ben Danford and a 2026 3rd-round pick for Pavel Mintyukov and a 2028 fourth-rounder.

The reason I think this works for Anaheim is they get a player on an ELC who is a fringe top prospect, plus a third-round pick for this season that they can then either use or incorporate in another deal, as well as spend money on other assets you save with Danford.

I like this for Toronto; it just allows them to have some youth in the D core, as well as an experienced enough player that can help the Leafs push for the playoffs and adding draft capital always helps.

Another: Easton Cowan for Pavel Mintyukov and a 2027 2nd.

This might shock some people, but I think Cowan is the more valuable asset between the two players. Cowan is nearly two years younger and put up 29 points in a dysfunctional organization. This trade allows Toronto to gain some draft capital as well as shore up a weakness in the defense; that capital can then be flipped or used.

Whichever way you want to swing it, the chance for Toronto to add a young defenceman like Mintyukov is too enticing to pass up.

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