The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed some roster needs on February 17th when they acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from St. Louis. Both players came as advertised and fit in well. After the trade with St. Louis, fans and media could tell that Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was still seeking more upgrades on the trade market. Ten days after acquiring O’Reilly and Acciari, Dubas struck a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Toronto acquired Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, and conditional 5th-round picks in 2024 and 2025. Going to Chicago are AHLers Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev, along with a conditional 1st-round pick in 2025 and a 2nd-round pick in 2025. Chicago is retaining 50% of McCabe’s cap hit for the rest of this season and the next two seasons.
Acquiring O’Reilly and Acciari as rentals is not ideal, but worth it if Toronto wins. McCabe has two more seasons left on his contract, and Lafferty has one more year. They address needs this season and beyond for the Maple Leafs. Dubas is giving his players all the help he can acquire. Now it’s up to them to produce when it matters, in the playoffs.
A closer look at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ newest additions
Jake McCabe
Jake McCabe has 20 points in 55 games this season. He is a 29-year-old left-shooting defenseman who can play the right or left side. The 6’1, 204 Lbs. native of Wisconsin adds more physicality to the Maple Leafs’ lineup. He has 122 hits and 115 blocked shots this season. McCabe will slide into one of Toronto’s top four defense spots.
Sam Lafferty
Sam Lafferty has 21 points in 51 games this season. The soon-to-be 28-year-old can play center or wing in Toronto’s bottom six. He is 6’1, 195 lbs., and has 94 hits this season. Lafferty will make Toronto harder to play against, and he is a good penalty killer. He has four short-handed goals this season.
Toronto has until 3 pm this Friday to make any more trades. Goaltender Matt Murray is expected to come off LTIR soon, so Dubas will need to create enough cap space for that to happen. The Toronto Maple Leafs will likely sign prospect Matthew Knies once his NCAA playoffs end. He could join Toronto’s lineup in time for the NHL playoffs.
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All eyes will remain on Dubas between now and the 3 pm trade deadline on Friday. Dubas has made one thing clear, he is going all-in this year for a chance to not only get past the first round but to go deep and hopefully win the Stanley Cup.