The Toronto Maple Leafs have made another trade. Adding to the six players he has already added, Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas traded Dryden Hunt to the Calgary Flames for Radim Zohorna.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are all in for the NHL playoffs this season. Dubas has done everything he can to make this team as playoff ready as possible. He has already added Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson. Now it’s up to head coach Sheldon Keefe and his staff to put together the lineup they feel will have the best chance to succeed.
Toronto has the deepest team they have ever had under GM Kyle Dubas. No one expects everyone to gel right away, but if everyone plays to their strengths, they will be hard to play against. The Maple Leafs have the skill, speed, toughness, defense awareness, physicality, and depth to compete with the NHL’s best. Now they need to go out and prove it.
Most fans will not be shocked that Toronto traded Hunt. Adding Zohorna is a minor deal that helps this year’s Toronto Marlies team. It was not a deal to add anything to the Maple Leafs’ lineup, which may upset some. Dubas already added six new players to the NHL lineup, so there was no guarantee he would add another.
A look at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ newest acquisition
Radim Zohorna is a big (6’6, 229 Lbs.) 26-year-old forward. He has registered ten goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 40 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL. Zohorna also played in eight games for the Flames this season but did not record any points.
Zohorna is a pending UFA with a salary cap hit of $750,000, which is slightly cheaper than Hunt ($762,500). He gives the Marlies more size and offense as they prepare for the AHL playoffs. The Marlies lead the North Division with 77 points and are four points ahead of the Hershey Bears for first in the Eastern Conference.
What the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t do
With nine defensemen on their active roster and Jordie Benn in the AHL, many thought Toronto might trade Justin Holl before the deadline. Dubas decides to keep Holl and all his defensive depth for the playoffs. The pending UFA has played well as long as he’s playing with the right defense partner.
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Toronto is expecting goaltender Matt Murray to return to the lineup from LTIR soon. When he returns, the Maple Leafs will send Joseph Woll back to the Marlies. Doing so will leave Dubas with $928,754 in available cap space to add an extra forward to the lineup. Will fans see a player like Pontus Holmberg, Bobby McMann, or Wayne Simmonds called up from the AHL, or will Dubas use that money to sign prospect Matthew Knies?
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