Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Avoid
Scott Laughton, C
On the surface, Laughton is an intriguing buy. He only makes $3 million for two more seasons after this, plays center, and is relied upon defensively. He sounds like the perfect third line center, no? No.
Unless you are very confident that he would work in the Leafs system, his results do not back up his perception. The Flyers get outscored and out-chanced at a high rate when he is on the ice. This has been the case for multiple seasons now and despite many on the Flyers showing improvements this year, he has not. His linemates could be partially responsible but given the longstanding history we have of his results, I would be unwilling to give him that benefit of the doubt.
Nic Dowd, C
Nic Dowd may be one of the best defensive bottom-six forwards in the NHL but his offensive production is almost nil. He would be a perfect candidate for a fourth line centre role but with rumours swirling that the asking price is a first round pick, the Leafs or any team for that matter, should be cautious about buying high on the shutdown centre.
Especially with Kampf already on the roster, adding Dowd would be redundant.
Tanner Pearson, LW
It is always a sad story when a player appears to be derailed by injuries. Unfortunately, this appears to be the case for Pearson who has seen his production dip in recent years. His injuries and most notably the way they were handled stirred a lot of controversy surrounding the Canucks organization last year.
I would be wary to bring him on at the deadline, mainly due to his $3.25 million caphit for this season. If he is willing to take a pay cut in the summer, he could be an interesting buy-low candidate for free agency.
Tyler Johnson, C/W
A few seasons ago, Johnson would have been a very intriguing deadline acquisition. He is a swiss-army knife type player, capable of playing multiple positions and in different scenarios. Much like a few names on this list, his best years are behind him and he has seen his production and play drop significantly from his prime. At 33 years old and carrying a $5 million price tag, there are definitely much better options available at the deadline.