Maple Leafs Fans Shouldn’t Expect Much Action at Deadline

Toronto Maple Leafs fans shouldn't expect a huge wave of deals at this year's trade deadline despite the market heating up.
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Toronto Maple Leafs fans shouldn't expect a huge wave of deals at this year's trade deadline despite the market heating up.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the mushy middle. They’re not quite good enough to be solid playoff contenders. Yet, they’re not bad enough to tear everything down and rebuild. And that’s not a good place to be in heading into the trade deadline.

But even if the Maple Leafs wanted to make a huge splash at the trade deadline, they just don’t have the wherewithal to make anything happen.

The Leafs don’t have draft capital. They don’t have enticing roster players. They don’t have prospects. That’s no bueno for a team desperately looking to extend its playoff window. Unless the Maple Leafs can somehow prey on a distressed team, it’s tough to envisage them making any sort of major move at this year’s trade deadline.

There’s a good chance the Maple Leafs could add a couple of pieces on the fringes. But they won’t be the sort of pieces that fans would like to see. The recent Rasmus Andersson trade to Vegas shows precisely what Toronto is up against.

The Leafs are competing against teams that have more pieces to work with. The Golden Knights had a couple of high draft picks that became leverage in the Andersson trade.

The Minnesota Wild sent a cache of young players for Quinn Hughes. Even the San Jose Sharks had draft picks to blow in the Kiefer Sherwood trade. The Maple Leafs could have swung any one of those trades if they had the pieces.

Alas, they don’t. That’s why the Leafs will likely have a quiet trade deadline on March 6.


Maple Leafs Better Off Making Major Moves in Offseason

The Maple Leafs are better off making major moves in the offseason. At this point, GM Brad Treliving runs the risk of making reactionary moves. He risks blowing what little capital the team has left in hopes of landing that one big fish that could alter the club’s fortunes.

Unless that big fish is someone like Nathan MacKinnon or Connor McDavid, it’s tough to see that happening. The Maple Leafs have far too many holes to plug with one major trade deadline push.

The Leafs need help up front and they need more depth on the blue line. Injuries have taken their toll, while inconsistency is the topic du jour. So, is there a solution? Sure there is, but it won’t come with one or two trade deadline deals.


Toronto Facing Similar Fate as New York Rangers

The Maple Leafs are facing the same fate as the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts fell from their perch as Presidents’ Trophy winners last season. They missed the playoffs and have now descended into a retool.

But at least the Rangers have a Presidents’ Trophy and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The Maple Leafs don’t even have that to hang on their wall. The Leafs have a handful of early playoff exits and some impressive regular-season finishes.

While the Maple Leafs have shown they have the talent to tango with the league’s best teams, Monday night’s 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild did little to convince anyone. So, it remains unlikely that the Leafs are a playoff team this season. Hence, there is no need to make huge moves when the playoffs seem like wishful thinking.

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Maple Leafs Fans Shouldn’t Expect Much Action at Deadline

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