Maple Leafs could reunite with two former players to help the team's defense

The second half of the 2024-25 season gets underway tonight, and with it comes a new wave of trade rumors as the March 7 deadline draws near.

According to Jonas Siegel of 'The Athletic', the Toronto Maple Leafs may look to reunite with a familiar face, or even two, before the deadline.

Jonas Siegel reports that Leafs GM Brad Treliving will seek depth defenders for a playoff push. A couple of former Leafs, Luke Schenn and Cody Ceci, have emerged as likely targets to beef up the Toronto blue line.

Luke Schenn was a stalwart partner to Morgan Rielly in his brief return to the Leafs during the 2022-23 season. Picked by Toronto fifth overall in 2008, Schenn has been with the Lighting, Predators, and other teams in between.

He is more of a physical presence than anything, bringing around 278 hits and 124 blocked shots into the fold each year with some grit and stability to the backend.

Having a cap hit of only $2.75M might make him an even more attractive option for needed stability on the Leafs' backend.

Cody Ceci, now in San Jose after a stop in Edmonton, provides a shutdown style that could fit in well with Morgan Rielly. Ceci played in 2019 with the Leafs, where he found some pretty good chemistry with Rielly.

However, his $3.25M cap hit creates financial hurdles with Toronto, and his issues this season in San Jose make it hard to believe he is the best fit.

With the trade deadline looming, Brad Treliving can afford to take his time with both players. If the Leafs do bring back Schenn and/or Ceci this season, the moves may prove the difference-maker that gets them the defensive depth for a deep playoff run.