The Toronto Maple Leafs made another trade ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. After adding mostly defensemen, they decided to add to their forward group. Toronto acquired forward Connor Dewar in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Friday afternoon. Minnesota acquired a 2026 fourth-round pick, according to Chris Johnston.

Dewar is only 24 years old. However, he is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Minnesota was unlikely to re-sign him over the course of the summer. As a result, the Maple Leafs swoop in and add him to their lineup.

The Maple Leafs are in contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Toronto is third in the Atlantic Division at this time. They appear to be comfortable in their third-place standing. Toronto trails the second-place Boston Bruins by nine points and leads the fourth-place Detroit Red Wings by eight points.

Connor Dewar adds depth to Maple Leafs

Connor Dewar is certainly not a flashy player, but he doesn't need to be. The 24-year-old has carved out a bottom-six role to begin his NHL career. He debuted during the 2021-22 season for the Wild and is in the midst of his third campaign in the league.

Dewar is not the most offensively inclined player in the league. In fact, he has yet to score 20 points in a single season. That said, there is some offense to his game. He reached the 10-goal plateau for the first time after scoring against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.

What Dewar brings to the table is defensive prowess. He is a reliable defensive forward who can kill penalties rather well. Toronto has struggled in that department this season. The Maple Leafs have filled 77.5% of their penalties to this point, which ranks in the bottom half of the league.

Connor Dewar can certainly help improve those numbers. And he could even score a goal or two down the stretch. It'll certainly be interesting to see how Dewar performs for the Maple Leafs as they continue their playoff push.