Analyst reveals who the Leafs are likely to bump down to 13th forward and/or who could be moved before 3pm Friday
With the additions of Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty, the Leafs' forward group has suddenly become very crowded - more specifically their bottom six. The addition of the three forwards by Kyle Dubas over the past couple of weeks means that there is no room on the main roster for the likes of Pontus Holmberg, Bobby McMann and Alex Steeves. Now, these 3 forwards are able to play more minutes with the Marlies and focus on their development. It also means that Wayne Simmonds will only be an option if several injuries occur.
Yesterday on "Real Kyper and Bourne" Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne debated how the bottom six will shake out and who is on the outside looking in. Kypreos suggested that although Zach Aston-Reese had a good week last week, he could be the odd man out and become the thirteenth forward, but also suggested that the Leafs could look at moving someone like Alexander Kerfoot or Pierre Engvall out to recoup some of the draft capital Kyle Dubas has spent the past couple of weeks.
With the Leafs not having enough cap space to activate Matt Murray off of LTIR currently, Dubas is likely not done wheeling and dealing and we will likely see another deal or two by Friday's 3pm deadline. The only way that could change is if the Leafs face some injury issues over the next couple of days.
Dubas revealed during his afternoon press conference on Monday that the Leafs will continue to look at ways to improve leading up to the deadline, but also mentioned that he plans to use the time that is now available to him after making what many believe will be his most impactful moves. Any additional moves are more likely to be minor tweaks after addressing the need for a top-6 forward, a top-4 defenseman and a pair of bottom six grinders.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 28 | 270 ANSWERS Analyst reveals who the Leafs are likely to bump down to 13th forward and/or who could be moved before 3pm Friday Do you think Zach Aston-Reese is now the Leafs' 13th forward? | ||
| Yes | 96 | 35.6 % |
| No | 72 | 26.7 % |
| Won't matter - they'll trade someone | 102 | 37.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
