The Toronto Maple Leafs GM once said that he didn't like making in-season moves, and pretty much everyone rolled their eyes.
There is also the little matter of the last significant trade he made turning the Florida Panthers into a juggernaut and Cup Champion, so who knows if he's gun-shy or just has a bad philosophy and is trying to cover for it.
Either way, the Leafs came into the season thin at centre-ice and have struggled with injuries all season with both Auston Matthews and John Tavares missing significant time a combined three seperate times.
The Leafs should already have made a move to address this, and while they can't just go out and pay exaggerated prices when in a desperate position, there is a fine line betreen patience and negligence.
There's a Fine Line Between Patience and Negligence for the Maple Leafs
The Leafs are still in first place in the Atlantic, so they have bought themselves some time, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't already have acted.
The fact is, Max Domi is not only a terrible centre and a much better winger, and trying to make him successful means that his line gets offensive zone faceoffs that should be going to the team's elite offensive players.
Domi also creates a situation where the third line doesn't have the traditional defensive prowness expected from thid lines, so once again, Matthews and Marner and Nylander end up playing harder minutes. Additionally, this means over-using the fourth line at times.
David Kampf is a good defensivce C but he's expensive for what he does and his upside is limited, he's a luxury the team can't afford and really, one they don't need. He's sort of a golden toilet if you think about it - expensive but in no way necessary. Players who can't score should not be on NHL teams. A defesense-only player you can't play above the fourth line is next to useless if you think about it.
In reality, the Leafs shouldn't be using Pontus Holmberg or Fraser MInten. They are not players who are likely to contribute positively at this time to a championship roster. Minten's career potential is basically what the Leafs want him to be right now. Holmberg is cheaper than Kampf but does't have any offense in his game either.
The Leafs need to add a centre. Maybe two. They already should have done so. Like I said, there's a fine line between patience and negligence and Brad Treliving has not shown very much reason in his two years at the helm to give him the benefit of the doubt.