Don’t be shocked if the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders do business before the NHL Trade Deadline.
Prior to being named general manager (GM) of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas learned everything from his mentor Lou Lamoriello, who’s now in charge of the New York Islanders.
For three seasons, Dubas was the Assistant GM to Lamoriello and soaked up as much knowledge as possible. That mentorship goes a long way in life and could help the Leafs at the Trade Deadline.
Lamoriello has always been known as a tough negotiator, but since his Islanders team is going to miss the playoffs this year, he could be inclined to trade with Dubas, instead of any other team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t going to be trading for the Islanders high-end skill, but instead will be focused on their pending UFA’s. Toronto’s biggest weakness is their depth and physicality, which is something the Islanders could help them with.
When it comes to the players we’ll be talking about, it shouldn’t take a “Godfather” package to make a deal.
Instead, it will probably be a sixth or seventh-round draft pick and potentially a C-level prospect who has some upside. The Leafs are in win-now mode anyway so trading any of those assets shouldn’t be a big deal, if it means bolstering their roster.
As we look forward to the NHL Trade Deadline, here are three New York Islanders players that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be targeting.