The Worst Possible Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Could Trade For

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are something like the NHL’s best team.

Sure, the Boston Bruins have a 12 points lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but in context, that isn’t so bad.

First, the Bruins are basically 12 points up on everyone. On any given night the Leafs or Carolina are in second place, but neither has much hope of catching up.

Check the math.

That said, the Bruins are not the best team of all time. They lead the NHL In 5v5 save percentage and are 3rd in 5v5 shooting percentage (one of just three teams flirting with 10% shooting).(all stats naturalstattrick.com).

To say they have been lucky would be to insult other lucky teams in the past. They are not anything close to the best team of all-time, but if the season ended today, they’d be in that conversation. They are just getting all the breaks.

The Leafs, on the other hand, are keeping pace despite a preposterous amount of injuries and OT losses.

The Leafs don’t rely on luck as much as Boston, and stripped of their horseshoes, the Leafs are the superior team, as will become apparent later this year.

That is, if the Leafs do the right thing at the trade deadline, which means getting the correct players, and going all-in to make it happen.

It is time to mortgage the future, trade whatever isn’t nailed down, and assemble the best possible roster. What I’m gonna break down for you here is the worst case scenario, by counting down 3 players the Leafs should not be interested in.

Mar 5, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs . Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

Toronto Maple Leafs Worst Options: Luke Schenn

Luke Schenn is the most disappointing draft pick in the disappointing history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Drafted right when the idea that maybe you shouldn’t waste top picks on defensive defenseman was just becoming mainstream, the Leafs blew a top pick on the likable defender.

5th overall in the draft where Erik Karlsson went 15th overall.

If that doesn’t make Brian Burke the worst GM in Leafs history, don’t worry he has about ten other moves that lock in that title beyond a shadow of a doubt.

You can’t blame him for not knowing to select Roman Josi – who went in the second round – but it would have been nice to have a GM where that at least would have been a possibility.

Back to Schenn.

A lot of people like to say that Schenn was ruined by being rushed to the show, but that’s nonsense retroactive thinking. The fact is, he is a slow, defense first, hitter who would have been good in the 90s.

Unfortunately, he was drafted in 2008 by a guy who never stopped wishing it was the 90s.

Today Luke Schenn is one of the worst players on one of the worst teams in hockey.

If you were to rate out of 100 how much the Leafs should want him, you would have to go into the negatives, because the Leafs already have 12 players who they would, or at least should, dress ahead of Schenn (Sandin, Liljegren, Brodie, Rielly, Holl, Giordano, Timmins, Mete, Benn, Dahlstrom, Hollowell, Kokonen), not counting Jake Muzzin.

Luke Scheen’s only value comes from a slight bit of offense he’s managed to rack up this year. His defense is horrible and he hurts his team by being on the ice. A competitive team has no need for this player, so no matter how much you romanticize ex-Leafs, Luke Schenn is the worst idea of a trade deadline addition I have heard.

An actual person told me Schenn should replace Rasmus Sandin, who is in his second straight year of putting up some of the best 5v5 results in the NHL. That person should not be allowed to tell people their hockey opinions.

Max Domi #13 of the Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Toronto Maple Leafs Second Worst Choice

If there is one thing sillier than people thinking Luke Schenn would play in the Leafs top six, it’s that Max Domi is a tough player who brings some jam to the lineup just because of who is dad was.

If his name was Max Smith no one would suggest the Leafs acquire him.

He is a horrible defensive player, and considering what the Leafs like to put in their bottom-six (i.e they love non-event players who suffocate the offense of other teams) he would likely be a healthy scratch on this roster.

You aren’t taking Bunting off Matthew’s wing, and you could not combine Domi’s horrid defense with Tavares and Nylander.

So this is a non starter.

People like to point out his current totals, which are pretty good. The thing is, however, he isn’t getting first or even second line ice time on the Leafs. He wouldn’t get on the top power-play. He wouldn’t get to lineup every night with Patty Kane.

Along with Schenn, Domi is the worst name that gets brought up, and it’s because neither is what the current Toronto Maple Leafs need, and they only even get mentioned because of the past connections with the organization, which in Domi’s case is extremely spurious.

Ryan O’Reilly

Despite being on a top team, Ryan O’Reilly has been under 50% Expected Goals for the last three seasons.

Formerly one of the best players in the world, O’Reilly is 31 now, and his scoring has declined significantly in each of the past two seasons.

This year, when he’s played, he’s been negative value.

And he’s injured.

O’Reilly broke his foot January 2nd. He is out for another few weeks, and then may get moved at the deadline.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should not have any interest. A couple of years ago they took on Nick Foligno, a good player, but one who was never on O’Reilly’s level.

That worked out horribly. Foligno was the kind of player everyone says you need for the playoffs, but he was injured and mostly played badly when he wasn’t.

O’Reilly is just a better version, but one who has declined more. He is injured, and his defense and scoring are both way down from his career highs.

In my opinion, the Leafs need a star player in his prime and should have no interest in ex-stars on the decline. Darren Pang said on the radio yesterday that he was the prize at the deadline, and that whoever acquired him would have the best shot at going all the way.

I am a fan of Pang, but this kind of magical non-sense thinking is one of the worst things about hockey, and sports analysis in general. O’Rielly in his prime would a dream acquisition, don’t get me wrong. But the declining, injury riddled, hasn’t played much this year, player he is today doesn’t make your team better just because of his experience and leadership.

There are significantly better players available, who are closer to their primes, who will help the Toronto Maple Leafs more.

O’Reilly has won before. So has Foligno. So has Muzzin. So has Thornton. Eventually, you just need to augment your own guys, and not believe a hero is going to swoop in with that special playoff formula. It doesn’t exist.

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All that said, if somehow he was picked up at a bargain in addition to other cool moves, I wouldn’t hate it because he is an awesome player, no question. In my opinion, O’Reilly is only a bad choice if he’s the main thing they do. If he augments Timo Meier’s arrival then OK, who cares?

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