The Torotno Maple Leafs came to the NHL draft in need of a goalie, some defenseman and a third-line centre.
Not to mention the Mitch Marner situation of which everything to do with the Toronto Maple Leafs currently revolves.
With this situation and these needs, Friday was the perfect time to address them, especially with their 23rd overall pick not likely to help them much for years.
But ultimately the Leafs were passive and unaggressive and they got nothing done.
It was a very disapointing opening night of the off-season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Do Nothing on Disappointing Draft Night
The Leafs traded their pick - but it was only to move down eight spots and get a second round pick in addition.
With the pick the Leafs drafted Ben Danford, a defensive defenseman that projects to maybe be a 3rd pairing guy in 2030.
Woo-hoo! What an exciting adventure!
The hallmark of the Treliving Era so far has been putting off decisions and being super-passive, then settling for name-brand players that don't seem like good fits on the team.
We saw this last summer when he didn't trade Nylander, and had easiliy the worst summer of any other GM in the league. Then we saw it all season long where he stubbornly refusee to address any of the team's problems in-season.
The trade deadline - which he mostly sat out - was an unmitigated disaster and cost the Leafs a chance to move past the first round.
You would think the Leafs would have come out guns-a-blazing in the off-season to get the goalie they so desperately need, but Jusse Saros re-signed in Nashville and Jacob Markstrom went to the Devils, while LInus Ullmark went to the Senators. Not only did the Leafs fail to improve, but two teams who missed the playoffs last year just made moves that basically make them automatic playoff teams.
Ergo: the Leafs not only failed to land a goalie, but it just got way harder to make the playoffs in the east.
You would think this would spart them to act more aggressively, but no, the opening night of the draft came and went without any action at all.
The Leafs have not improved their team, and the do not seem to have a clear path to doing so. They don't seem all that concerned about it either.
They used a pick that won't help them for years and that's one less asset to make them better when Matthews is in his prime. Worst of all they used it on a defensive defenseman.