Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs pulled off a small last minute deal by bringing in centreman, Connor Dewar from the Minnesota Wild.
We don’t have the full details on the move as of yet, but will update with those shortly.
(Update: here are the full details)
Dewar is 24 year old, fourth line winger who has the potential to add some playoff feistiness and some tertiary scoring. His 94 hits are certainly a selling point and his 10 goals in 57 games would actually make him one of the top producers goal wise for the Leafs outside of their big four forwards.
Michael Mazzei took a look at Dewar as a potential target for the Leafs earlier this season:
Before a lower-body injury that currently has him out of the lineup, he was the Wild’s second-most used forward when down a man behind only Joel Eriksson Ek. Minnesota’s shorthanded struggles (they are currently third last in efficiency at 73.5%) are not because of Dewar who has been among the best forwards in the league when down a man. He has a strong determination to be mobile and aggressive on the puck carrier which keeps the opposition honest and more prone to making a mistake. Should he gain possession of the puck, he quickly becomes a threat to score shorthanded given that he finished in the upper echelon of NHL players in that category last and is one of only three Wild players so far this year to score on the PK.
Dewar has a $800k cap hit and will be easy for the Leafs to absorb into their lineup. He is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. The Leafs can easily fit him into their current situation and is likely someone Toronto sees as a possible option beyond this season too.
We will have a more in-depth look at Dewar up on The Leafs Nation soon.
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