{"id":367247,"date":"2026-06-19T15:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/367247\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T15:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:35:13","slug":"maple-leafs-enter-race-for-ducks-d-man-who-injured-auston-matthews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/367247\/","title":{"rendered":"Maple Leafs enter race for\u00a0Ducks D-man who injured Auston Matthews"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> have emerged as a potential suitor for Anaheim Ducks<\/a> captain Radko Gudas. NHL<\/a> insider Kevin Weekes reported that Toronto and the Florida Panthers<\/a> are among the teams monitoring the veteran defenseman.<\/p>\n

Weekes wrote on X: \u201c\ud83d\udc40 Per sources, I\u2019m told @AnaheimDucks Captain D Gudas is gaining interest in the marketplace. If him & Ducks can\u2019t get a deal done, @FlaPanthers @MapleLeafs are among potential fits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gudas is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after completing his three-year, $12 million contract with Anaheim. The 36-year-old reportedly seeks a new deal worth between $3.5 million and $4 million annually.<\/p>\n

MORE: Canadiens among teams \u2018pushing hard\u2019 for $46.5M Maple Leafs star<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s interest is notable because Gudas ended Auston Matthews<\/a>\u2019 season in March. The Ducks captain received a five-game suspension after a knee-on-knee hit injured the Leafs star.<\/p>\n

Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear and a quad contusion. The injury limited him to 60 games and removed Toronto\u2019s top offensive threat.<\/p>\n

Why the Maple Leafs could pursue Radko Gudas?<\/p>\n

\"AnaheimAnaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas (7) at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs are coming off a disastrous 2025-26 season. They finished 32-36-14, missed the playoffs, and posted a -46 goal differential.<\/p>\n

Defensive play was a major issue throughout the season. Toronto allowed too many shots and struggled to establish a consistent physical presence on the blue line, especially after Chris Tanev\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n

That is where Gudas could help, despite his age. He remains one of the league\u2019s toughest defenders and brings extensive playoff experience. His 2025-26 season was affected by ankle and lower-body injuries, but despite that, he appeared in 56 games and recorded two goals, 11 assists, and 67 penalty minutes.<\/p>\n

So, Gudas makes more sense as a depth addition than a major solution. Toronto still needs stronger top-four options if it hopes to return to contention. However, a short-term contract could provide value. Gudas would add leadership, physicality, and defensive edge to a roster undergoing significant changes.<\/p>\n

New general manager John Chayka and head coach Jim Hiller are reshaping the organization. Pursuing Gudas suggests Toronto wants a harder, more structured identity moving forward.<\/p>\n

MORE: Sid Seixeiro rips Maple Leafs after coach Jim Hiller hiring<\/a><\/p>\n

Anaheim still hopes to retain its captain before free agency begins. If talks stall, the Maple Leafs appear ready to enter the race alongside Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Toronto Maple Leafs have emerged as a potential suitor for Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas. NHL insider…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,824,165,164,85311,2065,129060,404,9894,9893,2992],"class_list":["post-367247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-auston-matthews","tag-florida-panthers","tag-maple-leafs","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-rumors","tag-nhl-trade-rumors","tag-toronto-maple-leafs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}