Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman has quietly been made available to other teams
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 3, 2026 (9:30)
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Simon Benoit trade buzz is real, and the Toronto Maple Leafs trade deadline mood just changed.
Chris Johnston chatter suggests Toronto has been checking Benoit’s market for a while, not just this week.
That matters, because "poking around" is how a real deadline domino starts.
Benoit is 27, undrafted, and he originally broke in through the Anaheim Ducks pipeline.
He’s also not expensive, carrying a $1.35 million cap hit through 2026-27.
Re Maple Leafs trade deadline: "It wasn't only in the last few days that they started to poke around and see, hey would you take a Simon Benoit, what would you pay; I think those conversations actually go back quite a ways."
- Chris Johnston
- Chris Johnston
If rival teams are asking for cheap, mean depth, Benoit fits the box.
This season he’s sitting at 0-3-3 in 48 games, which tells you the value is defence-first.
The Leafs have depth options on the blue line, and that’s why his name popped up on Johnston’s trade board.
Simon Benoit puts the Toronto Maple Leafs on edge
Leafs fans are tired of "tinkering" that doesn’t move the needle, so the idea of selling a defender stings a bit.
But moving Benoit could be about creating a cleaner path to a bigger add.
Toronto doesn’t need Benoit to run a power play, they need him to survive heavy forechecks.
If Craig Berube wants cleaner exits, a different style of third-pair defender might fit better.
The other angle is pure cap math, Benoit’s deal is tradable without forcing salary retention.
And if the Leafs are hunting help up front, this is the kind of piece you flip to pay for it.
Toronto is 26-21-9 heading into Tuesday, and every point from here screams urgency.
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Previously on HockeyLatest
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 3|80 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman has quietly been made available to other teams Should the Toronto Maple Leafs trade Simon Benoit at the trade deadline? | ||
| Yes | 51 | 63.8 % |
| No | 29 | 36.3 % |
| List of polls | ||