The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a more unfamiliar position than in previous years. This team has underperformed to some extent but is still not good enough. So, what do they do on the deadline?
At the time of writing, the Toronto Maple Leafs are third in the Atlantic Division after defeating the Dallas Stars. They are currently in a tight race with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings. Because of their volatility during the season, the Bruins do not appear to be catchable, and the Florida Panthers lead by six points; nevertheless, the Maple Leafs have a game in hand.
The Leafs are now 7th in goals for, 15th in goals against, and 22nd in team save percentage (source: naturalstattrick.com). Based only on those three statistics, it is clear where this team’s difficulties lie. Team defense has been a problem all year, goaltending has been inconsistent, and while ranking ninth in the league in goals, depth scoring has been an issue. Aside from the core four, the Leafs’ top five goal scorers are Jarnkrok (10), Knies (8), Rielly (7), Robertson (7), and Bertuzzi (6).
The Leafs do not have any financial room, but they do have a large number of players whose contracts are expiring, giving them a lot of options. So, how should Brad Treliving approach the deadline?
The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Stand Pat.
For me, this team isn’t good enough to go all in unless Brad Treliving makes a single move. The move I’m considering is whether Treliving can bring in Tanev and Hanifin. Adding two defensemen of that kind might make a significant difference in how this club performs. Elliotte Friedman, an NHL insider, speculated on the deal in his latest 32 Thoughts blog.
“Calgary is waiting to see if the first-rounder comes into play. It’s poker, but if Toronto really wanted to do it, they would have done it by now. We’ll see. He would help them, and they are aware of this. (Maybe Toronto can resolve this by attempting to trade for both Tanev and Noah Hanifin.)”
Elliotte Friedman
The issue about a deal like this is that you not only gain their talent, but you also move other players down the lineup into better positions. TJ Brodie, in particular, has shown a significant decline in performance this season.
This team needs assistance on the blue line. If Treliving can pull off a Tanev and Hanifin trade, I’d be glad to go all in; nevertheless, I believe they should focus more on tinkering with the defensive. Former General Manager Kyle Dubas made the Luke Schenn deal last deadline, and I believe those are the types of transactions Treliving should consider.
Perhaps there is a deal with Anaheim for former Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin? Perhaps they can get Andrew Peeke out of Columbus. Nick Seeler of the Flyers is another player I’m considering trading for. Seeler is a 6’3” defenceman with fairly decent underlying metrics.
Seeler has 66 hits and 147 blocked shots, yet he shoots left-handed. Another candidate Toronto could consider is Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks. This is an option with term that could benefit the Leafs in the long run, but it may cost more than Lyubushkin and Peeke.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs are on a hot streak, but…. • The Jets sweep nicely, but the Leafs’ issues remain unresolved. • How the Maple Leafs can easily fix their power play.
• Despite Samsonov’s shutout, the Maple Leafs still need help in the net.
• Brad Treliving stars in Where’s Waldo, also known as The Disappearing GM.
The majority of these players are larger defencemen, whom Treliving normally prefers, and all of these names strike me as potential trade targets at the deadline. With these trades, the Leafs add to their blueline at a lower cost rather than wasting first-round selections and prospects on a team that isn’t competitive.
