Toronto Maple Leafs: Past Trade Deadline Refresher

What to Expect

Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash by acquiring Jake Muzzin back in January.

About a week before the deadline, the biggest moves are allegedly yet to come. However, while you’ve likely heard some speculation regarding the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Wayne Simmonds and Alex Pietrangelo, the Leafs may not be looking to do anything big.

Just by looking at the past few years, we can see that the deadline has been used by the front office as a way to tune up the team. The Leafs may have some cap limitations playing a role in this, or they could surprise us all by finagling their way into another big name. After all, the Dubas era has begun, and he’s been able to pull off some moves that may not have been possible under previous management.

That being said, the past deadlines have seen some minor trades that Leafs fans have loved and hated. From trading with rivals to giving up high picks, there’s an awful lot of action for hardcore fans, though they may not be as appealing to the casual viewer.

Today, I’ll take a look at the time leading up to the past few deadlines and check in on how those all played out.

There’s an assortment of players who may be on the move come February 25th though. So if you would like the take a look at some options, we have assembled some thoughts on who to target and who to let be.