The Toronto Maple Leafs may be well known for choking in the playoffs, but it was their GM who choked last year at the Trade Deadine.
This year’s trade deadline will not just determine the Toronto Maple Leafs future in the years to come, but it will pretty much seal the fate of the Core Four one way or the other.
The Leafs are clearly not good enough to win as they are currently constructed, so what Treliving does between now and the Trade Deadine will forever alter this franchise. As I see it, there are two main paths the Leafs can take, with either one branching off into other ramifications.
So, let’s go down the rabbit hole of why the 2025 trade deadline could shape the Toronto Maple Leafs future for years to come.
2025 Trade Deadline as Crucial as Ever for Toronto Maple Leafs
Stand pat
The first path the Leafs could take is standing pat. By “standing pat,” I mean foregoing a major move. The Leafs could still make minor deals to add around the fringes, but nothing earth-shattering such as trading for Mikko Rantanen or adding a top-tier defenseman.
Here, we’re essentially talking about the Leafs sticking to their current roster, adding bottom-six forwards and depth blue liners for the playoffs.
If this approach leads to a strong playoff run or Stanley Cup, as unlikely as that is, well, then nothing will drastically change. Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving will be back for the long-term.
But if the Leafs wash out in the first round again, major heads will roll. The Leafs would likely fire their entire front office and who knows what happens after that.
Ultimately, standing pat during one of the few season of Auston Matthews is a ridiculous and terrible idea. It makes no sense from any perspective and it's hard to see Treliving and Shanahan betting their entire careers on the Leafs current roster.
The Big Splash
The other route the Toronto Maple Leafs can take is to make a major upgrade on par with what Carolina and New York have already done. For instance, the Leafs could pay the cost to acquire someone like Noah Dobson, Bowen Byram or Dylan Cozens.
To do this, the Leafs would need to move out at least one major contract, such as Max Domi. It remains to be seen if Brad Treliving has an appetite to fix his mistakes.
Adding a big name wouldn’t be the only step. The Leafs would still need a depth centre if they get a big name defenseman, and they'll still need a depth defender if they spend big on a top line centre.
This short-term view could pay off with a Stanley Cup, but it isn't gauaranteed. However, the fans and players on the team deserve an upgrade going into the playoffs - it's not about guaranteeing a win, it's about putting the team in the best position to achieve victory.
This may be the correct path, but it doesn’t seem likely. The Leafs have shown almost no tolerance for risk during the last couple of seasons, and their GM seems afraid to pull the trigger on a big move. Treliving has never made a major Trade Deadline acquisition in his entire career.
The Leafs biggest issue is their need for a number-one defenseman or their embarrassingly thin set-up at centre-ice. It would take a drastic move, or two, to address both in-season. The most likely move for the Leafs appears to be tinkering at the edges and hoping for a miracle.
The team and fans deserve better.