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Maple Leafs' 'dream target' in free agency revealed

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 21, 2025 6:41 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs may need to make a splash this off-season, and according to one Insider, that splash may involve landing star blue liner Noah Dobson.

Despite a promising regular season in 2024/25 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team once again fell in round two, even though they managed to push the defending Stanley Cup Champions to seven games.

That's led speculation to surround the future of Mitch Marner and John Tavares, with the belief around the league being that there's a big shakeup coming this summer for the organization.

That could be both with their roster and with their front office, but for now, Bleacher Report have identified a potential dream target for Toronto that could allow them the necessary shakeup as they look to finally go on their Stanley Cup run.

According to Bleacher Report, Noah Dobson would be their dream target in the summer, as he would finally give them the offensive minded defenseman that they need to potentially achieve some success in the post-season.

The 25-year old had a career year in 2023/24, posting 10 goals and 70 points in 79 games played, and while he took a major step back this last season, it's hard to ignore the talent deficiency in New York compared to Toronto at this current point in time.

If the Maple Leafs were looking to upgrade the blue line with Dobson, it would certainly cost them a fairly large amount, but if the team are looking to re-tool over the off-season and get back into Stanley Cup contention next season, this could be one of a few moves in the summer to get them there.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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