The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t just a team looking for a possible update.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that will do anything and everything possible to improve their team in the next couple of weeks leading up to the NHL’s trade deadline.
Rasmus Sandin? On the table.
Nick Robertson? On the table.
The next two first round picks? Definitely on the table.
Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL Trade Deadline
If the NHL was playing with it’s normal divisions, the Leafs would tying to upgrade. But putting them in a radically easier division and giving them a much easier path to the Stanley Cup just makes it a compete no-brainer.
Every NHL team in history that has fancied themselves a contender has made a move to bolster their lineup. The Leafs are no different, so expect them to be active.
Amazingly, some people still argue that team’s shouldn’t trade the future for the present. I guess, given the history of this team, that I do understand the hesitation, but realistically, I think that the Leafs have always had the right philosophy, just lousy timing.
It is a game-theory slam dunk to make yourself better when you’re already the best. Anything you can do to improve your odds of winning, when winning is realistic, is smart. However, since hockey is a poorly designed game (because one player, the goalie, has an outsized impact on results) where the worst team will still win a series three out ten times even if they’re a massive underdog, it makes sense to hedge your bets.
So you aren’t going to go crazy and mortgage your entire future for one run. But, that has to be balanced against the fact that being in this position is extremely rare. There is going to be some subjectivity here, but I’d say that anything short of punting next season is acceptable right now.
If, as has been reported, the Toronto Maple Leafs are “all-in” then nothing is off the table.
Consider this: A second round pick yet to be taken might get your Mikael Granlund. But what can a second round pick you hit a home-run on be worth? If the Leafs don’t think Nick Robertson can help them right now, then he might be just the piece to send them over the top.
Make no mistake, Granlund is an excellent, underrated player. Adding him may be more than enough, since the team is already excellent. But if you want to really make an impact, then you must at least consider making a huge move.
Personally, I would keep Robertson and Amirov and Sandin. That’s an impressive future when you’ve already got such a solid core. I’d be willing to use my two upcoming draft picks and anyone else in the organization to get better, but I think the Leafs are already good enough to win the Cup.
I like the idea of getting better, but getting better to the point where it costs you Nick Robertson just isn’t necessary. There is only so much ice-time to go around, and I don’t think adding a Taylor Hall to this roster would have very much impact, comparative to the cost.