The Toronto Maple Leafs have found themselves in a bad situation with little time remaining in the season. Unless the Maple Leafs win 8 of their final 10 games before the March 6th trade deadline, they have a lot of tough decisions to make. The team Brad Treliving produced clearly did not work. Treliving will have to either think about retooling or rebuilding the team for the future.
The Maple Leafs may have to look to wave the white flag for the remainder of the season. On paper, and from the eye test, this team is nowhere near a Stanley Cup contender. They don't have the depth or the firepower to go on a deep playoff run. Losing Marner was a big loss for the Maple Leafs, but I believe it goes much further than that. Many applauded Brad Treliving for his work this offseason, but the players he brought in have not made a significant impact as many expected. Nobody excelled like the management staff expected, and when the team has dealt with injuries on offence and defence all season, you need some of your acquisitions to make a difference. While the simple answer to this would be to go out and make a trade, the Leafs don't have the assets to do this.
Following the steps of the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights
The Maple Leafs are going to need to look to do something the Boston Bruins did last season, they finished second to last in the Eastern Conference and are now a favourite to qualify for the postseason. The Vegas Golden Knights found themselves in a similar position during the 2021-22 season; they failed to qualify for the playoffs, and later ended up winning the Stanley Cup the following season.
Both of these teams were able to find ways to improve their roster by retooling. This would be the best option for the Maple Leafs heading towards the trade deadline and the offseason. Instead of trying to dig yourself in a deeper hole, they need to become sellers by clearing out some players while looking to improve on these gaps in the offseason. The Maple Leafs have several players on expiring deals, including Scott Laughton, Calle Jarnkrok, Bobby McMann, and Troy Stecher. Both Matias Maccelli and Nicholas Robertson are restricted free agents, meaning the Maple Leafs will retain their rights past this season.
Hard decisions that need to be made
It may also be time to move on from Craig Berube. While he was able to deliver the Leafs their longest playoff run in the Matthews era, he has lost the room. The message he is trying to get across to the players, especially the leadership staff, is going in one ear and out the other.
Many believe years two to four of coaching a team are the hardest because of the fact that the message may become repetitive, which makes it harder for the players to listen. While this is not an excuse the players get to use, it is just human nature and something everybody goes through at any level of sports.
Another issue that has seemed to arise with Berube and Treliving is the number of players who are the same. When looking at the lineup, it seems their bottom six are virtually two good fourth lines. They don't have a player who pushes their line and can be productive in the top six if given the chance. Players like Max Domi, Matias Maccelli, Nicholas Robertson, and Easton Cowan play the same way. To be a successful team, you can't have four third liners that don't contribute and make a difference. This doesn't fall directly on Berube, but you have to set each player with a different role and a different way in which they contribute to the lineup.
Moving towards the trade deadline, some of these players may begin to gain interest. Bobby McMann is towards the top of that list if moved towards the trade block. He is a hard-working, physical forward who can play in all different areas of the ice, while nearing a 30-goal season. He is an effective middle-six forward on a cheap deal that any team could afford at this point in the season.
Scott Laughton is another player who will gain the interest of other teams. He is a player who deserves a bigger role than the one he has in Toronto. Laughton won't produce you a lot of goals, but will go into the hard areas of the ice and play crucial minutes on the penalty kill and against other teams' top players.
Lastly, Brandon Carlo should be another player the Maple Leafs should attempt to move. Carlo simply did not work in Toronto; he had a great career in Boston that didn't translate to Toronto. It could be the fact that his defence partner, Morgan Rielly, hasn't been good at all, but when you give up your top prospect and a first-round pick for him, you expect a lot better. Carlo has two years remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $3.485 per season.
Upcoming for the Maple Leafs
When you look towards the trade deadline and offseason, the Leafs will have hard decisions to make. I think they need to look deeper into figuring out the player's role throughout the season and the type of team they want to become. It would be hard to predict at this point who may become available; however, the Maple Leafs should look for different players in their lineup, because the core they have no cleary doesn't work.
The Maple Leafs will have an interesting next stretch of hockey before the Olympic break, as well as moving towards the trade deadline. The Leafs are set to hit the road and face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.