Following their trade for Ilya Lyubushkin, the Toronto Maple Leafs are beyond strapped for cash, but that doesn’t mean they should be out of the running just yet to land a big trade if they make a few roster moves. Acquiring Lyubushkin should help the Maple Leafs if he keeps producing the same way he had with the Anaheim Ducks, but he’s still more of a third-pairing player and nothing else.
That said, trading for Lyubushkin alone won’t win the Maple Leafs a Stanley Cup unless Auston Matthews and company get to the point where they are putting up at least five goals a night on average, and that’s no easy feat, regardless of how well he’s been playing. So, instead of relying on top scorers to continue to cover up for so-so defensive play during a good game, Toronto needs to move some players around and create cap space to acquire at least one more player.
Toronto Maple Leafs must buy a little more at the trade deadline
Because of their cap situation, Toronto won’t pull off a blockbuster unless they make a plethora of cost-saving moves before March 8th. But there are still bargain pieces left on the market who won’t require general manager Brad Treliving to make too many transactions to clear enough space.
We’re talking about younger players who may not do much to help Toronto score goals as much as they would help them win their first Cup since 1967. Further, the two names listed as hypothetical trade pieces could even continue in their respective roles for the Maple Leafs in the coming years should such trades occur and Toronto retains them.
These players are also with an organization that either isn’t looking to contend or is roughly out of contention at the moment, so they may ask for Toronto to flip them over a quality prospect in return, and there is one name that jumps out. Before we reveal who that prospect is, let’s talk about one of the two players Toronto can still bring in at a sound price.