Toronto’s Blue Line Is Getting Old. That Might Not Be a

There is an easy way to look at the Toronto Maple Leafs' blue line right now: it's old. Morgan Rielly is 32. Jake McCabe is 32. Chris Tanev is 36. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is 35. Troy Stecher is 32. If you put all of that into one sentence, it sounds like a problem waiting to happen.

But I'm not sure that's the most interesting question. The better question might be whether Toronto can use its older defencemen differently as younger players emerge. That's a much more complicated question — and, I think, a much more important one.

Raddysh Is the Bridge Between the Maple Leafs’ Defencemen.

Darren Raddysh is an interesting place to start because Toronto didn't sign him to wait for the next generation. The Maple Leafs gave him eight years at $8.5 million because they believe he can help them now.

That sets him apart from the younger players behind him. Raddysh is the expensive bet. Emil Andrae is the inexpensive hope. How those two develop could tell us a lot about what this defence becomes.

Andrae is only 24 and carries a $1.55 million cap hit. If he becomes a reliable NHL defenceman, Toronto suddenly has something every team wants: a young player who can handle meaningful minutes without demanding a huge piece of the salary cap. That's where the age of the blue line becomes less frightening. The older players don't necessarily have to disappear. They just have to stop carrying quite so much.

William Villeneuve Could Matter More Than We Think.

Another name is worth adding to this conversation: William Villeneuve. He doesn't have the same immediate attention as Andrae, and no one is asking him to solve the blue line tomorrow. But that's precisely why he is interesting. Toronto doesn't need every young defenceman to become a star. It needs some of them to become useful NHL players.

If Villeneuve can eventually become part of the rotation, the Maple Leafs have another inexpensive option. Suddenly, Rielly doesn't have to play quite as much. Tanev can be protected a little more. McCabe can be used in situations where his physical game matters most. That's how an older defence gets younger without necessarily getting worse.

The transition doesn't happen because Toronto replaces its veterans overnight. It happens because younger players gradually make veterans less necessary for every job. And that may be the real test of John Chayka's blue-line construction. The Maple Leafs have bought experience. Now they need to develop enough youth to make that experience sustainable.

Some of the Younger Maple Leafs Blueliners Need to Step Forward.

If Andrae and Villeneuve emerge, Toronto won't necessarily need to tear down this defence and start again. It can simply change how they use the pieces. That would be a smart move.

The goal isn't to make the Maple Leafs younger just for the sake of being younger. It's to become a better team because the young players have made the older players more effective. That's a much harder thing to accomplish. And maybe that's exactly what Toronto is trying to do.