Toronto Maple Leafs MUST Buy @ Trade Deadline
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs have less than two weeks to decide what to do at the NHL Trade Deadline.
The big day is Monday February 26th. Twelve days away. We’ve gone back and forth on this all year. Are the Toronto Maple Leafs contenders? Are they rebuilding? Everyone has their opinion. Most of them are wrong.
Here is the right one: The Leafs, like every other team, are building towards a winner. Few, if any, teams are ever satisfied with their rosters. The Leafs though, are not rebuilding. Rebuilding means you’re sending out assets for futures and planning to win later.
My experience is that most analysis is pretty black and white, that is, it’s binary: Buy!! Sell!! with very little in between. Just because you aren’t the favorite to win doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to improve, and just because you add to your team doesn’t mean you’re selling off your entire future.
The Leafs can improve their team without giving away Timothy Liljegren, Travis Dermott or Kasperi Kapanen. They can also make smart hockey trades for players with youth and term who don’t constitute ‘short term’ moves.
I don’t think the Leafs should be trading multiple firsts to get a third line centre, like the Wild did last year when they traded for Martin Hanzal, but I also think it’s beyond stupid to stand pat. And even worse than that would be to make moves just for the future.
The Leafs have a reasonable shot to win. Their team is not only good, but the tachometer is clearly in the red and waiting to go up a gear – when, like Matthews, Nylander and Marner are their best selves in every game, the Leafs go from ‘pretty good’ to ‘nearly unbeatable’ and that situation is getting so close (and might have already occurred).
Toronto Maple Leafs Must Buy
If the Leafs want to sell off Komarov and Bozak, I’m all for it. There are players ready to take their spots who the Leafs will be better off keeping. Komarov is one of their only good defensive forwards however, so I’m also all for keeping him. It makes no sense to give Leivo or Soshnikov away for nothing when you can send out the pending UFAs and get something back.
As for James van Riemsdyk, I’ve been back and forth (and back again). He’s so much better than anyone who could replace him, and luxury of having that level of scoring depth down in the lineup for a playoff run probably exceeds what the modest return you’d get for him. If he leaves in the summer, you get some cap space, and roster flexibility. I’d keep him. Maybe he wants to win enough to take a discount. The people who criticize JVR are the main people to ignore by the way. If anyone tells you he’s replaceable, they’re wrong.
More from Editor In Leaf
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Healthy and Ready
- Ryan Reaves Will Have Zero Impact on Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Playing Max Domi In Top-Six a HUGE Mistake
- Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Results from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament
The Leafs need to add a centre. If they move Nylander to C, then good. But if not, they need a third and a fourth line centre. They also need a top pairing defenseman. I don’t care what their recent record is, you can’t count on a goalie to sustain what Andersen has been doing lately. It’s just not a physical possibility. If you want to win, you need Ron Hainsey off the top pair. That’s about the most obvious thing that’s ever been said, but it’s worth pointing out.
Chris Tanev is the obvious guy here, and as the whispers seem to be that the Leafs are looking to add, I’ll just about guarantee they trade for him. Unless Vancouver is asking a ridiculous amount, I would expect to see some kind of Connor Brown for Chris Tanev deal. A Tanev/Rielly to pairing is something to dream about – you’d have to go back to Kaberle/McCabe that good of a pairing in blue and white.
On forward, there aren’t that many obviously available players to trade for that would be an obvious improvement, but players like Philip Daneault, Tomas Hertl are examples of players who you could acquire and keep for years. Their teams aren’t contenders and they’re massive improvements over Bozak. If you’re going veteran, a great choice would be Henrick Sedin, if the twins would agree to be split up.
Next: Enemy's Insight: Playoff Edition
Anyways, I’m just spit-balling. There’s lots of ways to improve if you’re creative. The point is that the Leafs can’t waste this year. They must add. They don’t need to go ‘all-in’ but they do need to give themselves the best chance to win.