New on Wednesday afternoon, reporting that the three Toronto Maple Leafs would not be hitting the ice as healthy scratches raises concerns about the club pulling off various trades.
That situation should actually encourage fans. The recent trades hitting the wire have been pretty solid returns for guys who offer little more than a depth role.
Let’s start with the Michael McCarron trade. The Minnesota Wild sent a second-round pick to the Nashville Predators for a player with 12 points this season. So, shouldn’t Bobby McMann fetch a first?
McCarron has four goals and 12 points, while McMann has 19 tallies and 32 points. Would a first and a prospect be out of the question? Looking at the price tag on McCarron, it’s certainly feasible.
Then, there was another depth trade by the Predators. The club sent fourth-liner Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights for a third-rounder and an AHL-level player. Again, a depth piece landing a decent return.
So, wouldn’t it be reasonable to suppose Scott Laughton could land at least a second-round pick and an NHL-level prospect? Smith is a fourth-line grinder. Laughon is at least a center. So, there’s an opportunity there to cash in.
Now, let’s look at the Tyler Myers trade. The Dallas Stars paid a second and fourth-round pick for a third-pairing guy who’s got one goal and plenty of holes in his defensive game. So, couldn’t the Maple Leafs land another first-round pick and a mid-round selection for Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Would three pieces for Ekman-Larsson be out of the question?
With the market dynamics being the way they are, it wouldn’t be crazy to assume the Maple Leafs did the right thing by waiting until now. The market has set a price point, and contenders are willing to pay up.
The Maple Leafs could end up recouping several draft picks and one or two prospects just on Laughton, McMann, and Ekman-Larsson. That wouldn’t be a bad sell-off. Hopefully, Brad Treliving figures this out and sticks to his guns. Contenders are paying up, and the Maple Leafs could make out like bandits for once.