The Toronto Maple Leafs made a big trade this time last year.
On January 28th 2019, the Toronto Maple Leafs added Jake Muzzin from the L.A Kings in exchange for some B prospects and a late first round pick.
The deal has worked out splendidly for the Leafs who added a top pairing defenseman, and one of the best play drivers of the last decade, for next to nothing.
With no first round pick, the Leafs selected Nick Robertson, a player just four days from being too young for the draft, in the second round. Robertson has lit up the OHL this year and if he was born four days later, would be a for-sure first rounder this year, a fact that negates most of the cost of the Muzzin trade (since the Leafs essentially ended up with a first rounder anyways).
But what will the Toronto Maple Leafs do this year? Does Dubas has another heisting hidden up his sleeve? Will the league’s best general manager further cement his reputation by adding the player that puts his team over the top?
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Plans
Complicating the Leafs ability to add players is the fact that (with a fully healthy roster) they are at the salary cap limit.
That makes Cody Ceci, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnson prime candidates to be used for trade bait.
Johnson has a history of first line production and I find it highly unlikely the Leafs would trade him. Kapanen, however, has mostly disappointed this year, and teams might also overpay for that crazy speed he has.
Ceci is a perfectly adequate #6 but makes too much money for that role.
If the Leafs moved two of these players, they could add almost any piece that could conceivably be available, so cap space isn’t likely to be an issue.
The issue is: what do they want?
You would assume they’d love to add a defenseman, but the Leafs blue-line is a much bigger strength than most people realize. Rielly, Muzzin, Barrie, Dermott, Sandin, Holl is – in my opinion – an excellent blue line.
I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a solid upgrade, but unless the Leafs are going big game hunting for a player like Ryan Ellis, I don’t see the need. Why trade for a Ceci upgrade when Liljegren and Sandin already provide you with two?
The Leafs are always rumoured to be after Alexandar Georgiev from the Rangers, but does it make sense to spend a lot of assets on a back-up goalie? I don’t think it does. If the price isn’t too high, I’m on board, but I wouldn’t spend too much on a player you’re just gonna lose in the expansion draft anyways.
What I would look at if I was the Leafs is two things: a top pairing defenseman, and a top line forward.
Roster balance is not a necessary thing in a game where you use so many players. Another elite forward would make the Leafs impossible to defend against and add just as many wins as a top pairing defenseman would.
I think forwards might come without a premium and that you could add a forward that upgrades the team at a cheaper cost than a defenseman.
But if an elite player is not available, I’d stand pat if I was in charge of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team is so deep that you’d have to add a very good player for there to be any kind of upgrade.
I wouldn’t, however, be surprised to see the team defy convention and trade for a forward as opposed to the defenseman everyone says they need.