How the Leafs utilize one of their assets could tell us a lot about the future of the team
What do Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren have in common? All 5 were first round draft picks of the Toronto Maple Leafs who are still on the roster as of today. Until this season's trade deadline, Rasmus Sandin was a part of that group. Whether it was inconsistent play or holding out and missing training while negotiating his contract, Sandin fell out of favour with Leafs management this season. The trade brought back Erik Gustafsson, a pending UFA, and a first round draft pick that originally belonged to Boston. Now that the Leafs' season has come to an end, that draft pick has the power to change the course of the franchise.
Yes, I'll admit, it's a late pick. You're not going to find a Matthews, Nylander or Marner that late in the first round. Having said that, Dubas found Matthew Knies with the 57th overall pick. There's definitely a high chance that there's a good NHL player selected with that pick. The question now is, will the Leafs be the ones picking? Or will they use it to make a trade at the draft?
It's highly likely, if Dubas is indeed the GM come draft day, that he trades down, grabbing an extra pick or prospect in exchange for moving back a few spots. He's done it before and had success with it, so why not do it again?
By far the most entertaining option would be using it as part of a blockbuster trade involving one of the core four. Packaging Marner with a first round pick could bring back a package that would both start and complete a major re-tool in Toronto. The Winnipeg Jets are bound for change, both Pierre Luc Dubois and Nicolaj Ehlers have been rumoured to be available. The far funnier, and maybe less likely option, would be sending Marner and the pick to Arizona. Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse both have long term deals signed at reasonable cap hits. Nick Schmaltz is also a pretty solid player who has term remaining on his deal. I certainly wouldn't mind adding any of those players to the Leafs' lineup!
The Sandin trade certainly came as a shock, anf Leaf fans are divided on whether or not it was worth giving up such a young defenseman. In my eyes, whether the trade was a good one or not hinges on how they use that pick. The Leafs did manage to topple a borderline dynasty in Tampa with the team they have now, but the loss to Florida has thrown everything into doubt. Will they rebuild, re-tool, or run it back? What they do with the Bruins' pick could be the first indication we get on the direction of this team.
| POLL | ||
MAI 15 | 290 ANSWERS How the Leafs utilize one of their assets could tell us a lot about the future of the team Should the Leafs rebuild, re-tool, or run it back? | ||
| Trade everyone for picks and start over | 18 | 6.2 % |
| Rebuild, but keep the playoff performers | 62 | 21.4 % |
| Re-Tool and come back stronger | 151 | 52.1 % |
| Run it back, they'll get over the hump! | 59 | 20.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
