A lot has been made about how the Leafs could really benefit from adding another defenseman to replace Carl Gunnarsson on the top pair alongside Dion Phaneuf. For example, a lot of people thought the Leafs should have aggressively pursued Jay Bouwmeester before he was dealt at the trade deadline last season.
Well, suitable top-pairing defensemen don't grow on trees. We've seen this firsthand over the years: a guy like Jay Bouwmeester doesn't become available very often and when guys like that do become available they come at a premium. But every season, there might be one or two oppurtunities that present themselves where a team can actually bring in someone like that. And this year it seems Andrew MacDonald of the New York Islanders could be that guy.
