Leafs Don't Want to Repeat History with Foligno-esque Deal
Last season's trade deadline acquisition of Nick Foligno did not exactly go as planned for the Leafs. Some suspected that when Foligno joined the team, he was already already injured and failed to get healthy, ultimately playing in just 7 regular season games and only 4 of 7 games in the Leafs' first round series against the Habs. That trade ultimately cost the Leafs a 1st and two 4th round picks and has been dubbed by many as the worst trade Dubas has made in his tenure as Leafs' GM.
With the Leafs having very few "bullets in the chamber" this season, only holding first, second and seventh round picks, it would not make sense for the Leafs to part with their only two high picks for a rental player. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was on 590 this morning and his belief is that he Leafs do not want to trade their first rounder or any of their top prospects (Amirov, Robertson, Niemela, Knies, etc.) for a rental player.
One has to wonder if that pertains more to players of Foligno's skill set and if the Leafs would be willing to part with any of the above for a player like Pavelski or Giroux on a rental basis. Someone that could help the secondary scoring and play up and down the line up to make matchups for opposing teams much more difficult.
Come playoff time, having a guy like Pavelski or Giroux would free up Matthews and company from constantly having to play against shut down pairings and lines and take some of the pressure off of them.
Not giving up a first for a rental player is more along the lines of Dubas' philosophy where he would prefer to lose the pick for someone that can make an impact for at minimum another season after this, as he did when he brought in Campbell and Muzzin a few seasons ago.
One player that would fit Dubas' philosophy and could fit into the Leafs' lineup is Brandon Hagel (CHI, signed until 2024) who would give the Leafs some much needed scoring depth in the bottom six and some offseason insurance should the club be unable to resign Mikheyev and others. The Leafs are rumoured to have interest in Hagel, so we'll see if anything materializes there.
