The Toronto Maple Leafs took a hit on defense this offseason when they lost Luke Schenn in a trade to Philadelphia, but on the bright side, they acquired young forward James van Riemsdyk. Nevertheless, the current defense corps needs to step up in order to propel this team to a playoff return for the first time since before the last lockout.

Headlining the blueline is captain Dion Phaneuf: a big, physical defenseman, but one that fans often dub hockey’s most overrated player. Phaneuf will get you hits, but he won’t score as much as his contract says he should.

Behind Phaneuf on the depth chart are the oldest defenders (who are only in their early-30’s), Mike Komisarek and John-Michael Liles. Neither are among the top tier of defensemen in the league, but they are solid blueliners who add a little bit of experience to the team.

Jake Gardiner is someone to keep an eye on in the upcoming years: he is only 22 years old, but he has a lot of potential to blossom into a solid defenseman and become one of the leaders on this young team trying to return to relevance. Gardiner, along with other young defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson, is a centerpiece of the team’s future and will be a big part of preventing goals and turning takeaways into scoring opportunities for the Leafs in their (hopefully) brighter days ahead.