Leafs waive young winger; another trade appears to be on the way
Following the blockbuster deal to bring in Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas had indicated that he may yet look to make additional moves if he thought he could continue to improve the team. Well, given today's announcement that Jake Muzzin is done for the season and the Leafs' upcoming playoff run, it would appear likely that yet another move is on the way.
In addition to the Muzzin news, the Leafs also placed winger Joey Anderson on waivers on Wednesday. Anderson, 24, has been with the team since 2020, after being acquired by the Leafs in a deal with the Devils, which sent Andreas Johnsson to New Jersey. He has suited up in 14 games for the Buds this season, scoring 2 goals and adding 1 assist for a total of 3 points.
Today's news tells us a couple of things. First, it tells us that the Leafs may be looking to clear a roster spot. The Leafs currently sit at 49/50 contract slots, and with that 50th spot presumably reserved for Matthew Knies, if the Leafs want to bring in someone else, they'll have to first move someone else out to free up a spot under the 50 contract limit or agree to forego signing Knies until after the playoffs.
Another thing it tells us is that the team likely doesn't see Anderson as even a 13th forward option on this roster. If Anderson has slipped down the depth chart behind guys like Pontus Holmberg, Bobby McMann and Alex Steeves, then perhaps moving on is the right thing for the team and the player.
There's also a chance that the Leafs placed Anderson on waivers hoping that he'll clear to give themselves - or a potential acquiring team - some additional roster flexibility. If Anderson clears, he won't need to clear waivers again until after he plays 10 games in the NHL or until 30 days elapses. This would benefit the Leafs if they keep him, because he can freely move up and down between the AHL and NHL without needing to clear again for what would be close to the rest of the season. Having the ability to move him up and down freely could also allow the team to bank some additional cap space ahead of the deadline. Conversely, there may be another team interested in bringing in Anderson as a part of a trade, but only if he clears waivers first, so he can be assigned directly to their AHL team without having to clear waivers.
This move doesn't necessarily guarantee that a move is coming, but it is a pretty strong indicator.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 22 | 801 ANSWERS Leafs waive young winger; another trade appears to be on the way Will the Leafs pull off another trade in the next 48 hours? | ||
| Yes | 603 | 75.3 % |
| No | 198 | 24.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
