The Toronto Maple Leafs made three moves on Tuesday, improving their chances of winning a Stanley Cup this year. Although the hard-work is still months away, general manager Kyle Dubas has set this team up for success, as it feels like this is the best roster the Toronto Maple Leafs have had in years.
Toronto has had successful regular seasons over the past five years, but they haven’t gone all-in at an NHL Trade Deadline like this before. They’ve obviously made moves to improve their team, but it’s usually only been one or two transactions, unlike the five they’ve already made.
And the NHL Trade Deadline is still 72 hours away.
Over the next few days, the Leafs could make another trade or two and really change the look of this roster, although it feels pretty much set right now. The bottom-six has a new look and the team’s defensive group is older and bigger.
As a result, there’s no reason to believe that they can’t get the job done and finally win a playoff round this year. We’ll obviously have to wait and see what happens, but this year feels different and the make-up of this roster looks much harder to play against than in years past.
Let’s take a look at the three most recent Toronto Maple Leafs’ trades and grade them accordingly.
No. 1: Luke Schenn
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Luke Schenn
- Vancouver Canucks acquire: 2023 3rd Round Pick
At first, I was against the Leafs trading for former draft pick Luke Schenn, but now that it’s a reality, I kind of love the move and here’s the reason why.
If Schenn was going to be the only addition, then this wasn’t the right trade to make, but after acquiring Jake McCabe earlier this week, it slots Schenn into a perfect role as the team’s No. 6 defenseman or depth piece in the press box.
At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, the right-handed defenseman gives the Leafs a different look in their bottom-six and makes them harder to play against. I thought the team would go more towards skill with someone who can push the puck up the ice, but going with Schenn will make them more physical, which is important.
Although giving up a third-rounder feels like a little much for a veteran rental defenseman, the team got one right back in the Pierre Engvall trade, so it’s all good.
Grade: A-