Toronto Maple Leafs: Do Cup Contenders Trade Draft Picks at Deadline?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few decisions to make ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 21st. Some of those decisions will involve whether or not they will trade draft picks including their 2022 first round pick to bolster their playoff roster.
During the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to part ways with a number of draft picks including their 2021 first round draft pick which they used to acquire Nick Foligno from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In total, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded away six draft picks around last season’s deadline in an effort to increase their chances of winning a Stanley Cup.
After an unfortunate early exit during the first round of the playoffs, many Leafs fans are questioning the team for their choice to trade away potential pieces of their future in an attempt to win now.
The Toronto Maple Leafs look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this season, and up until last season, they hadn’t looked like contenders for a long time. Since I’m not used to seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs as true contenders, I find myself asking “What do contenders do?”
Do Cup Contenders Keep Their Draft Picks? Should the Toronto Maple Leafs?
The Toronto Maple Leafs still have their first round, second round and seventh round draft picks for 2022 and all their 2023 draft picks except for their seventh rounder. Should they try to trade them for players to help them win now or keep them to build for the future?
Let’s examine what other Stanley Cup contenders are doing with their draft pick:
The Colorado Avalanche vs the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Colorado Avalanche have been cup contenders for a couple seasons now. They won the President’s trophy last season, finished second in the Western Conference in 2019-20, and they’re leading the NHL in points per game so far this season.
Around last season’s trade deadline they made moves to acquire pending UFA’s Devan Dubnyk, Patrik Nemeth and Carl Söderberg for a fourth round pick, a fifth round pick, Ryder Rolston (2020 fifth round pick), Josh Dickinson (ECHL) and Greg Pateryn.
At the 2020 deadline, they weren’t as active but acquired pending UFA’s Vladislav Namestnikov and Michael Hutchinson for a fourth round pick and Calle Rosén.
They were able to keep their first round picks in 2020 and 2021, but have already traded their 2022 first round pick along with a conditional 3rd in 2024 to the Arizona Coyotes for Darcy Kuemper.
For the 2022 draft, the Avalanche only have their 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th round picks remaining. They still have all of their 2023 draft picks except for their fourth rounder.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have more valuable picks remaining than the Avalanche do, but the Avs were able to have some playoff success over the last couple seasons without giving up their first rounders.
The Carolina Hurricane vs the Toronto Maple Leafs
Last season, the Carolina Hurricane were Stanley Cup contenders after finishing first in the Central Division. The also had some playoff success in the 2019 and 2020 playoffs despite finishing fourth in the Metropolitan Division both seasons.
So far this season, they are the top team in the Metropolitan Division and have the second highest points per game in the NHL. They are still very much Cup contenders.
The Hurricane only made one transaction during last season’s NHL Trade Deadline when they traded Haydn Fleury to the Anaheim Ducks for pending UFA Jani Hakanpää and a 2022 sixth round pick. It’s interesting that though they were contenders, they actually gained a draft pick at the deadline.
However, Carolina was very active at the 2021 NHL Draft and traded away their first round pick to the Nashville Predators for two second round picks. In total they traded five 2021 draft picks (a first, a second, two thirds and a fourth), Alex Nedeljkovic and Jake Bean for 11 draft picks (three seconds, four thirds, a fourth, two fifths and a sixth) and the rights to Jonathan Bernier.
For the upcoming draft, the Hurricane no longer have their first round and third round picks because they were given to the Montreal Canadiens as compensation for signing Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an unmatched offer sheet. However, they do have Chicago’s third round pick, Anaheim’s sixth round pick and Columbus’ seventh rounder.
Carolina also has all of their 2023 draft picks. They have don’t have their 2022 first rounder, but the do have a healthy eight picks for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft compared to the three the Toronto Maple Leafs are holding.
The Florida Panthers vs the Toronto Maple Leafs
The only team with a second round draught longer than the Toronto Maple Leafs is the Florida Panthers. Florida became Stanley Cup contenders last season where they finished second in the Central Division behind the Carolina Hurricane.
The Panthers are currently the top team in the NHL standings and are tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third best points per game in the NHL.
Florida did make a few moves to bolster their line-up around the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline acquiring pending UFA’s Sam Bennett and Brandon Montour, and a sixth round pick for a second round pick, a third round pick and Emil Heineman (second round pick in 2020). Though Bennett and Montour where UFA’s, the Panthers were able to sign both players to extensions.
They managed to keep their 2021 first round pick to select Mackie Samoskevich 24th overall, but they’ve already traded their 2022 first rounder along with Team Canada’s starting goalie at the 2021 World Juniors, Devon Levi, to the Buffalo Sabres for Sam Reinhart.
For the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Panthers still have their third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh picks along with Calgary’s sixth. They also have all of their 2023 picks as well as Arizona’s seventh.
The Florida Panthers traded picks at the deadline for playoff help, and much like the Toronto Maple Leafs, they suffered from a first round elimination.
The Tampa Bay Lightning vs the Toronto Maple Leafs
After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup in 2021 and 2020, winning the President’s trophy in 2019 and leading the Atlantic Division in 2018, the Tampa Bay Lightning have more experience as Stanley Cup contenders than any other team in the NHL right now.
At last season’s NHL Trade Deadline, Tampa Bay traded their 2021 first round pick, 2022 third round pick and 2021 fourth round pick for pending UFA’s David Savard and Brian Lashoff (AHL).
Around the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, the Lightning trade two first round picks, Nolan Foote (2019 first round pick) and Anthony Greco (AHL) for Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow and a 3rd round pick.
They weren’t active during the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, but at the 2018 deadline, Tampa traded their 2018 first round pick, 2019 second round pick, Brett Howden (2016 first round pick), Libor Hájek (2016 second round pick) and Vladislav Namestnikov to the New York Rangers for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller.
The Lightning still have their 2022 first round pick along with their fifth, two sixth rounders and two seventh rounders. They don’t have their 2023 second rounder, but have Anaheim’s seventh.
During the last four season’s the Tampa Bay Lightning have only drafted in the first round once, Nolan Foote, and he was dealt to help with their first of two consecutive successful Stanley Cup runs.
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs trade their future to win now like the Tampa Bay Lightning did?
The Toronto Maple Leafs
With their first and second round picks available, the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to be in a good position compared to the other Stanley Cup contenders in terms of having top 2022 draft pick to trade. Tampa Bay has their first rounder and Carolina has their second rounder, but Colorado and Florida have neither.
That puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in a better position than any of these top contenders to bolster their lineup at the NHL trade deadline with a high end player to help them on their cup run.
I’ve heard a lot of talk about Scott Wheeler’s 2022 NHL Prospect Pool Rankings from The Athletic and how the Toronto Maple Leafs are “only” ranked 15th. For a Stanley Cup contender to be ranked that high is actually an incredible achievement.
The Colorado Avalanche are ranked 21st, the Florida Panthers are ranked 23rd and the Tampa Bay Lightning are ranked 30th. The Carolina Hurricane are the exception as they’re ranked 9th, but that’s more of a nod to Carolina than a knock to Toronto.
In today’s NHL, you do need to build through the draft and the Toronto Maple Leafs have already done that. Auston Matthew, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly… these core players were drafted when the Leafs were rebuilding and are now in their prime.
Key players like John Tavares, Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie have already been brought in and given good money to win now. They aren’t getting any younger, and the clock on their effectiveness is ticking.
There are also clocks on some of key contracts, especially concerning pending UFA Jack Campbell. Who knows if he’ll be with the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.
The time to win is now! They need to go all in.
dark. Next. Leafs Have Found a Fourth Round Gem!
I think the Leafs will want to keep one of their top two picks for the 2022 draft, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded the other top pick, prospects and/or 2023 picks to bolster their playoff roster at the trade deadline. I don’t think they’ll add as many players as last year, but one or two great roster players could push them over the edge.