Fans in Toronto very divided over one key issue as the deadline approaches
This past week we saw the Calgary Flames trade Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for plethora of assets including a first round pick and highly touted defensive prospect. Mere days later we saw the Montreal Canadiens trade Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets for a first round pick and conditional pick. Two significant trades days apart means that trade season has officially begun and it means Leaf fans will be watching Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving with a microscope.
The Leafs are reportedly still interested in Chris Tanev and just about every other defenseman available, but with the cost to acquire those players rising, it might be best for Treliving and the Leafs to be sellers instead of buyers, as they are currently in a Wild Card spot and are nowhere near as dominant as many had suggested they'd be this season.
Leaf fans are torn over the idea with some raising the concern that selling would make it harder to re-sign Mitch Marner to an extension and may cause a riff between management and Auston Matthews and William Nylander who inked new extensions already. Others are saying it makes sense for the Leafs to reacquire some of the assets former GM Kyle Dubas traded away in recent years with the Leafs hanging on to a wild card spot.
The Leafs have a number of pending UFAs including Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and T.J. Brodie which could return a number of assets. Given the market right now, Domi would likely fetch a combination of mid-round picks. Bertuzzi, even with his scoring slump would likely let the Leafs recoup at least one of the three second round picks they are missing over the next 3 drafts and TJ Brodie would also likely net the Leafs a pair of mid-round picks.
Picks are not the only assets the Leafs could recoup, as they could prefer prospects over picks and could offer to take on a salary dump from a team in a more secure playoff position in exchange for a sweetener. The Leafs are not a Stanley Cup contender this season and it makes zero sense for Treliving to give up more assets for quick fixes and another early playoff exit. Treliving himself has said that he prefers that his teams are built in the off-season and in his time with the Flames, he did not make too many blockbuster deals at or around the trade deadline.
If Treliving believed the Leafs were going to be contenders this season, he likely would have already made a trade or two to bolster the blueline. Since he has yet to do so though, it seems unlikely he will at this stage unless asking prices drop as it's been reported Treliving does not want to trade the Leafs first round pick, Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten for short-term fixes. If the Leafs can turn the likes of Brodie, Bertuzzi, Domi and potentially others into younger players, prospects and draft capital, it will give Treliving way more options in the off-season to reconstruct the team and give the Leafs the best chance of winning a Stanley Cup over the length of Matthews' upcoming 4-year extension.
| POLL | ||
3 FEVRIER | 883 ANSWERS Fans in Toronto very divided over one key issue as the deadline approaches What should the Leafs do at the deadline? | ||
| Buy | 585 | 66.3 % |
| Sell | 155 | 17.6 % |
| Stand pat | 143 | 16.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
