Connor Dewar plays against the Nashville Predators, in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 29. Dewar was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs from the Minnesota Wild ahead of the NHL trade deadline.George Walker IV/The Associated Press
The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a Connor at the trade deadline on Friday.
No, neither Bedard nor McDavid.
They pried Connor Dewar, a 24-year-old centre, away from the Minnesota Wild for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft. Dewar has 10 goals and 14 points in 57 games and will become a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
“What attracted us is that he is defensively sound and is very strong on the penalty kill,” Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said.
It was the only addition the club made after picking up veteran defenceman Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals and defenceman Cade Webber from the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Edmundson, 30, is 6 feet 5 and has played in 596 games over his nine-year career.
He is a former alternate captain of the Montreal Canadiens and was acquired in an exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2024 and a fifth-round selection in 2025. Edmundson will also become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. As part of the deal, Washington retained 50 per cent of his US$1.75-million salary.
Webber is finishing his fourth year at Boston University. The Terriers were ranked second in the most recent NCAA poll.
Last week, the Maple Leafs began to shore up a shaky defensive unit by trading for Ilya Lyubushkin of the Anaheim Ducks. With him and Edmundson added to the roster they will be much deeper.
On a day where the Vegas Golden Knights stole the thunder at the last minute by acquiring all-star centre Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks, Toronto was eerily quiet.
“You try to make the team better as best you can,” Treliving said. “There are big moves you can make and small ones where you pick away. Certainly there are areas we like and areas where we need to improve and we tried to address that. At the end of the day our success is going to be driven by the group in the room.”
Toronto is third in the Atlantic Division with 19 regular-season games remaining. Its chief division rivals – Florida, Boston and Tampa Bay – all made major moves before the 3 p.m. deadline.
The first-place Panthers picked up Kyle Okposo, a 35-year-old right wing from Buffalo, where Okposo was captain. On Thursday they added 32-year-old right wing Vladimir Tarasenko in a trade for two draft picks with the Ottawa Senators.
The second-place Boston Bruins added a little more brawn by acquiring veteran right wing Pat Maroon from Minnesota. The Tampa Bay Lightning landed Matt Dumba – one of the bigger catches among defencemen – from the Arizona Coyotes.
Some marquee players who were thought to be available – Calgary goalie Jacob Markstrom, Ottawa defenceman Jakob Chychrun and Montreal defenceman David Savard – were not moved. On Thursday Carolina obtained Jake Guentzel, a star left wing, from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It was a normal trade deadline day,” said Treliving, who formerly was the general manager in Calgary. “We knew in the morning that some of the things we figured to do weren’t going to come to fruition. It was a business-as-usual type of day.
“I didn’t think there were was one big surprise. Over the years I have learned not to be. There are a few maybe that you raise your eyebrows about but I try not to get caught off guard.”
As it was preparing for the day Toronto sent rookie left wing Matthew Knies to the AHL’s Marlies. Knies sustained a head injury against Boston on Thursday. Knies is a prized young forward and was sent to the farm team temporarily.
“He is not going anywhere,” Treliving said.
Defenceman William Lagesson was placed on waivers and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks. Lagesson has four assists in 30 games this season.
Treliving seemed satisfied and said the club’s focus is on its final 19 games of the regular season.
“We have work to do here to make sure we qualify for the playoffs,” Treliving said. “Everybody looks at the probabilities of who we might play in the playoffs but you can’t focus on one opponent.”