In Kyle Dubas’s summer mission to acquire a much needed arsenal of right-handed defensemen, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jordan Schmaltz from the St Louis Blues in exchange for left-handed defenseman Andreas Borgman.
Borgman was one of the Leafs’ promising prospects and a key component in the Toronto Marlies’ success in the 2018 Calder Cup Championship. Although teetering between the NHL and AHL, Borgman was just about ready to break into the NHL.
However, Borgman was, unfortunately, part of the Leafs organization’s ongoing problem of a surplus on LHD and a desperate lack of RHD. Destined to play the call-up-call-down game next season, moving Borgman was a logical transaction.
Acquiring Jordan Schmaltz, however, was perhaps not so logical.
Jordan Schmaltz
Schmaltz was the St Louis Blues’ first-round pick in 2012. Playing for the University of North Dakota through the 2015 season, Schmaltz has spent the majority of the last four seasons stuck in the AHL. Regardless of the Blues’ lack of vacancy in the lineup for defensemen, Schmaltz struggled to prove his NHL worth.
Last season alone, Schmaltz earned only nine points and a devastating -22 Corsi in 36 games played with the San Antonio Rampage. Even his 20 game stint with the then-struggling St Louis Blues only racked up two points.
Both defensemen are similar in age and opportunity, both have a $700k cap hit. The swap is essentially equal on paper, but Borgman’s potential greatly outweighs Schmaltz’s. Where Schmaltz’s AHL career has been full of frustration, Borgman’s has been full of success and improvement.
Perhaps the change of scenery and a different system will jumpstart Jordan Schmaltz. There is much more opportunity for him to make the lineup. If not, the Marlies could be a better fit for developing his game.
Overall, it’s perhaps Dubas’s riskiest trade of the offseason. Schmaltz has been criticized for lacking physicality and consistency in his game. Jordan Schmaltz has often been labeled a bust, but perhaps the Leafs can activate him.
Big Picture
Regardless, sliding in on the bottom defense pair doesn’t put too much at stake. With the least responsibility, Schmaltz provides a better RHD option than none at all. Even so, he competes with other defensive options like much-anticipated prospect Timothy Liljergren.
If Schmaltz can pan out, it could be a huge win for the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, his unpredictability and mediocre history is a glaring concern for his developmental trajectory. Giving up a prospect like Andreas Borgman isn’t quite worth the risk, but perhaps worth a shot if only to fill the most prominent gaps in the Leafs’ lineup.
At the end of the day, Kyle Dubas has been incredibly busy in the offseason. He’s reworked the entirety of the team’s bottom half and is clearly pushing for success in the upcoming season. This is just one of many moves of the summer and, in the grand scheme of things, only a minor piece of the big picture. Hopefully, Jordan Schmaltz can find a place on the Toronto Leafs, but expectations should not be set too high.
Follow Jacqueline on Twitter at @jxcquelineoh
