Why Maple Leafs signed free-agent defenceman Blake Smith: ‘Toughest player in the league’

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With the Maple Leafs’ draft capital heavily reduced but their need to replenish their prospect pool still ongoing, they continued on the same route they have taken as of late, adding another young free agent for next season.

On Thursday, the Leafs inked defenceman Blake Smith to a three-year entry-level contract beginning next season.

🖊 We’ve signed defenceman Blake Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season pic.twitter.com/uFGJkCx38l

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 10, 2025

Smith fits the bill as a prototypical Brad Treliving defenceman, continuing the blue line overhaul from the team’s top pair down through nearly their entire farm system. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound smooth-skating defenceman recently finished his fourth season in the OHL, making him eligible for free agency.

The Leafs currently have only four non-roster defencemen under NHL contract next season who are eligible to play for the AHL’s Marlies. While there are multiple RFA defencemen such as Topi Niemela and Mikko Kokkonen who could be qualified, the signing of Smith so soon after his Flint Firebirds season ended indicates he could be given runway to make the Marlies out of training camp next season.

And after four years of steady evolution in the OHL developing pro-ready habits, there’s reason to believe he could make the jump to the AHL swiftly enough.

After all, he brings exactly what the organization wants in its defenceman.

“When he’s on the ice, everybody knows he’s out there. He polices things, if you will,” Firebirds head coach Paul Flache told The Athletic, before calling him the “toughest player in the league.”

“(Smith) can fight; he can hit. Since I got him, I was comfortable playing him 30 minutes a night, but I had to tell him he could pick and choose his spots,” Flache said. “He hits hard, he plays a solid game, but he had to learn to be smart and not run around chasing guys.”

Smith led all Firebirds defencemen with 54 penalty minutes and +15 plus/minus as well.

It’s not just his sandpaper that could make him valuable to Treliving and the Leafs organization. The skating skills that every new Leafs defenceman must have in his game? Smith has that in spades as well.

“(Smith) skates very well for a big man,” Flache said. “He’s got great feet and he doesn’t get caught flat-footed out there. That’s something we’ve worked on for a while. He’s got the tools to hold lines at the offensive blue line or our own blue line, get to pucks first in our own zone. He’s spent a lot of time working on that first move, whether it be distributing a puck or skating the puck out and beating players.”

Smith is the son of 10-year NHL veteran Derrick Smith, a centre who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers. At the very least, Smith might have a better understanding of the rigours of the professional game compared with his peers.

To Flache, that was evidenced by his maturity and his improved conditioning this season. That left him with little doubt Smith would get an NHL contract before the summer.

“(Smith) is already a pro with the way he takes care of himself,” Flache said. “He was a top pair for us over the last two years. And when you play physically, it’s even harder for someone like him to play those minutes.”

Smith’s eligibility for the NHL draft began in 2023. However, he went undrafted in 2023 and 2024 as well, making him a free agent. Coincidentally, Smith was ranked 155^th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in 2023, one spot behind eventual Maple Leafs draft pick Noah Chadwick and three spots behind Borya Valis, a forward who was signed by the Leafs as a free agent in March.

Flache hypothesized that a change in the Firebirds’ systems allowed Smith to show off his physical style more often. That led to increased viewings among scouts this season compared to his draft year.

Next season, that physicality will undoubtedly find a home in Toronto. The Marlies want to play the way the Leafs do and need their defencemen to play heavy down low. While Smith’s offensive numbers did jump this season (10 goals and 32 points in 64 games), he will likely still be relied upon — along with Chadwick — to blend responsible puck movement with the requisite nastiness around his goal.

The Leafs undoubtedly have a type, and Smith is the latest example of that.

“He’s an unbelievable person and works his ass off,” Flache said.  “It all goes back to his size and his skating ability. The rest of it, you just have to spend time teaching his puck skills and his confidence.”

(Photo: Dennis Pajot / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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