The Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Ilya Lubushkin again Wednesday night, this time for a third and sixth round pick.
It is such an irrational, foolish, and idiotic trade that I have no idea where to begin. Brad Treliving is clearly out of his depth as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager, and his tenure has been nothing short of disastrous thus far.
With $20 million to spend in the off-season, he made David Kampf the NHL’s highest-paid fourth-liner and embarrassed the team by signing Ryan Reaves to a three-year contract. John Klinbger was unplayable from the start, while Max Domi fits in like a Radiohead song at a UFC fight.
He did not handle the blue line, and as a result, he entered one of the few remaining Prime Seasons of the Core 4 with one of the league’s weakest blue lines.
On Thursday night, he did little to improve the situation.
What Are the Toronto Maple Leafs Thinking
I wasn’t interested in trade for Chris Tanev because I believe the Leafs need puck-movers more than defensemen. However, Chris Tanev is unquestionably a top-four player on any NHL team.
Ilya Lyubushkin is a healthy scratch for at least ten NHL teams.
The chances of finding a star player in the late first round are not significantly higher than those of finding one in the third. Lyubushkin and Tanev disagree significantly. If you’re willing to spend a third on Lyubushkin, just pay for Tanev and be done with it.
Lyubushkin makes no sense on a roster that already has Simon Benoit, William Lagesson, and Mark Giordano. There is no realistic difference in the results that those four guys will produce.
You cannot play Lyubushkin and Benoit at the same time since both are total offensive black holes.
If the plan is to place him in the top pairing with Morgan Rielly, it is ludicrous and foolish. People may share statistics now to demonstrate how successful they were together, and this is true. They earned their minutes. Morgan Rielly, on the other hand, performed substantially worse than anyone else throughout his time at Lyubushin.
They were effective because they were the Leafs’ top pairing and frequently played with Matthews. However, Lyubushkin made the top line worse. The statistics do not lie.
Lyubushkin is not a top four player. He’s a healthy scratch on any elite blue line. He does not improve the Leafs. He doesn’t solve any needs other than being right-handed, which isn’t a compelling reason to sign a player. He cannot be partnered with Rielly, because he is one of the NHL’s worst players.
The Leafs then needed a puck mover and acquired a player who makes them worse at moving the puck. They are 17th in the NHL in puck possession because their blue line is incapable of passing.
• A Comprehensive List of Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Options.
The Toronto Maple Leafs may trade for 10 elite defensemen, including Knies, Minten, Cowen, and Woll.
• Checking in on Former Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL • Trade Grades for Toronto Maple Leafs. Get Lucky As Chris Tanev Traded to the Stars
Worst of all, the Leafs could have had a clear upgrade but chose a considerably weaker player for a somewhat lower price. But, hey, how can you pass up one of the NHL’s worst clubs offering you their fifth best defenseman?
