Toronto Maple Leafs: Trade Deadline Shopping List
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in the hunt for a playoff spot.
As of right now they are two points out of third in the Atlantic Division, sitting in the second wild card playoff spot. If the Toronto Maple Leafs are serious about making the playoffs this season, then they better think about making the necessary preparations needed to not only make the playoffs, but to also take a worthwhile run for the cup.
This year’s NHL trade deadline is on Feb. 28, and the Leafs have a few holes they should be looking to fill.
Take this as a small shopping list of some pieces and moves that the Leafs should be looking to complete if they wish to successfully improve their team.
In all honesty, I think the Leafs do not have to change much of their roster to keep their success going. They may be young and inexperienced, but the core of the Leafs seem unshakeable right now.
The Leafs are competitive right now, but not necessarily shooting for a cup. This places them somewhat in between being a buyer and a seller.
Primarily, the Leafs should be sellers more so than buyers at the deadline, like any rebuilding team, however there are also a few things they can buy that perhaps would benefit the team for the better.
Defense First
The Leafs are in need of a stronger defensive core if they want to go far in the playoffs. Toronto’s offensive core looks great as of now, featuring players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Nazem Kadri. Their defensive core however features Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, and Nikita Zaitsev, but then begins to fall off.
The first pair of D-men that come to mind in being expendable at the deadline are Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick. Both players are on expiring deals this season, and it is questionable if they would even return.
Whether they’re traded for draft picks, prospects, or roster players, their play has not been up to par this season and they may be the first to go. The Leafs should be looking at multiple defensive options that can solidify the blue line. Maybe a veteran defenceman with a good amount of skill can do the trick, or a top notch prospect like Jacob Trouba.
More Importantly, a Top-Pairing Defenceman
More specifically however, the Leafs should be looking to fill a much needed hole on the blue line–a top-pairing defenceman. Morgan Rielly is the Leafs own top-pairing D-man of the future, but is her really a number one guy? If that number one defenceman is truly hard to come by, getting another top-pairing defenceman of equal or greater skill would still be better for Rielly to play alongside.
Trade rumours have been going on for a while, and out of all of them, the most obvious surround forward James Van Riemsdyk. He is on a good and cheap contract that teams looking for a winger would be attracted to. Perhaps the Leafs can flip him for a top defenceman who is on the market right now. Maybe someone like Cam Fowler, Kevin Shattenkirk, or Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Leafs could even sweeten the deal a bit and perhaps land a young and elite defenseman like Trouba or Tyson Barrie.
Morgan Rielly suffered a lower-body injury during Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. His absence in Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers was more than evident, as the Leafs defence took a plunder and the team lost 5-2. Morgan Rielly is currently the Leafs best defenceman, and their blue line is basically one injury away from falling off. This issue needs to be addressed by finding another top pairing defenseman who can solidify the blue line in the wake of injuries.
If the Leafs truly want to contend this year, a top pairing defenseman is the the most evident hole in the lineup. Find one, and this roster will immediately be much better.
A Solid Backup Goaltender
The Leafs backup goalie conundrum has reached it’s peak. We saw the signing of Jhonas Enroth in the offseason, as well as his recent dismissal with his trade to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Leafs tried out Antoine Bibeau as well, and recently claimed Curtis McElhinney from the Columbus Blue Jackets. On top of all this, the Leafs also have Garret Sparks floating around in the system. The backup carousel has been ongoing and there needs to be a final solution.
Lets face it, the Leafs have been riding this season on the back of Frederik Andersen’s success. Toronto is one Andersen injury from the Leafs season going downhill. If the Leafs are to sustain their recent success, they surely have to fix the backup goaltending circus that’s been going on.
With that said however, the acquisition of a backup depends on the play by McElhinney this month. He has already played spectacularly in his debut as a Leaf, capturing a win against the Ottawa Senators with a .946 save percentage.
If he is able to continue this play and string together wins like a solid backup, this may not be a whole to fill. Otherwise, this should be at the back of Lou’s mind going into the February.
Prospects
The Leafs are already loaded on prospects. We all know this. But having more prospects can never hurt. The Leafs are building for the future here. We might be shooting for the playoffs this season, but if long-term success is what management is seeking, they have to keep an abundance of prospects in line to be called up each year.
In a few years, salary cap problems will make it difficult to keep all roster players together. The reality is that some players may need to leave the roster and some may join. By creating this depth with prospects, the Leafs will be a team that will always have skillful players to come up whenever they need to, while being cheap.
The Leafs should not make acquiring prospects a priority heading into the trade deadline, but they should be aware of acquiring some if they are available in return for replaceable assets. The Leafs are sellers after all, not buyers.
Some players that can be swapped for prospects include rental players like Roman Polak, Brooks Laich, Milan Michalek, and Colin Greening. These players’ contracts will be ending at the end of this season, and another playoff team might be looking to acquire them in exchange for prospects.
Stockpile Draft Picks
The Leafs may be improving, but hey, this whole rebuild thing is a long-term plan after all. Other than acquiring prospects from other teams, the Leafs should also be looking to select some themselves. Every great rebuild is built through the draft, and therefore, the Leafs will need a good amount of draft picks at hand always. You never know when your next star or utility player will come out of a late round choice, so it’s important to keep those picks loaded to keep the system depthful and young.
The Leafs have a few players they should be looking to shed for some draft picks, if not prospects. Roman Polak is probable trade bait, similar to how he was last season. After being traded last year to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for second-round picks in 2017 and 2018, Polak resigned with the Leafs in the offseason on a one-year contract. This allows him to be a perfect rental addition to a playoff team in which he can perhaps fetch a similar return.
Similar to Polak are other rental players mentioned before. Selling high on these players is what the Leafs should be looking to do.
Plan of Action
This is pretty much all I believe the Leafs should really think about doing at the trade deadline. For the first time in many years, the Leafs are competing for a playoff position going into February, and what’s not broken shouldn’t be fixed.
The Leafs are a team currently bridging the gap between short-term and long term-success. Like I mentioned before, the Leafs should primarily be sellers at the deadline, not buyers.
The core of the team is great right now, and since the Leafs are experiencing a rebuild, they should be looking to acquire pieces mainly for the good of the future rather than the present.
This doesn’t mean that they should attempt a deep run at the playoffs. The Leafs have only a few holes, in my opinion, to fill to be a competitive playoff team.
However, they should not try and sell their future in order to buy current success. Overall they should be patient, sell players that are expendable, let the season run its course, and there will be success down the stretch.
Next: Sell On UFA's At Deadline
Let me know what you think the Leafs plan of action should be moving closer to the trade deadline. Do you think the Leafs should be looking to buy success right now, or should they sell for sustainable success in the future?