Toronto Maple Leafs Moves Indicate Another Trade Coming?

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not play on Wednesday but were in the headlines for other reasons.

Fans were buzzing about Ryan O’Reilly’s hat trick on Tuesday night in Toronto’s 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Tuesday’s victory was not the only news for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Leafs announced that defenseman Jake Muzzin will not return this season.

Earlier this month, Muzzin met with various specialists and Toronto’s medical staff. They determined that Muzzin will need to sit out the rest of the 2022-23 season and playoffs while he recovers from a cervical spine injury. The team will wait until the start of training camp in September to offer a further update.

Toronto also announced on Wednesday that forward Joey Anderson has been placed on waivers. The team is hoping he will clear and return to the Toronto Marlies. However, there is a chance they placed him on waivers knowing another team will likely claim him. If he does get claimed, it will open up contract spot.

Teams are only allowed to have a maximum of 50 pro contracts. According to capfriendly.com, Toronto has 49 contracts. Should Anderson find himself on a new team at noon on Thursday, Toronto will have two available pro contract spots ahead of the March 3rd NHL trade deadline.

If Anderson stays we will help the Marlies in their quest for playoff success and be a good callup option for the Leafs should they need him.

What Comes Next for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Regardless of what happens with Anderson, the Leafs are likely not done shopping, however the move to waive a good young player is suggestive of something happening soon.

Anderson being waived gives Toronto $5.17 million in cap space, because Matt Murray is on the LTIR at the moment. The Maple Leafs will need $4,687,500 when/if Matt Murray returns from LTIR. That leaves Dubas with under $500,000, so any trades will require a player on the active roster to go the other way.

The trade deadline could be made much easier on Dubas if he knows that Murray will not be returning until the regular season ends, but Murray is expected to return next week. His recent trade to acquire Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari has worked out well so far. He would like to have another successful trade as he tries to set Toronto up for a long playoff run.

Will Toronto find a way to add a top-four defenseman or be forced to bargain shop for depth options? Do they consider a backup goaltender if Murray will be out until April? The March 3rd trade deadline is only a week away, so we’ll find out soon.