The longer the Leafs go without making a move, the more clear Kyle Dubas' deadline plans are becoming
For Kyle Dubas and Toronto Maple Leafs, it's been an uncharacteristically quiet 2023 so far in terms of the team's level of activity in the trade market. In years past, Dubas has shown his preference to get out ahead of the game and complete trades a lot earlier than other teams. This year, however, the Leafs have not made a move and as projected buyers, that's a bit of a headscratcher in many eyes.
So why the lack of activity from Dubas and the Leafs? Well, the answer is a reasonably simple one, really; Dubas is looking to swing big and most of the bigger names are going to move closer to the actual March 3rd trade deadline.
Names like Timo Meier, Patrick Kane and Ryan O'Reilly are almost certain to move and with some of these bigger names potentially holding up the market, unless the Buds want to overpay by a significant margin to get a deal done fast, they're likely playing the long race, hoping for the price to get more reasonable as the deadline approaches and teams panic to sell off their assets before they run the risk of getting nothing at all for a departing free agent.
For Dubas, this is actually a pretty smart play. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has a deal or two on the table for a player with term, who maybe a lot of other teams aren't pushing so hard for. This could be a good contingency plan if he misses out on some of these higher profile rental players. However, if he is able to play the waiting game and if the teams with the pending UFA's blink first, it could mean Dubas landing one of these players at a reduced rate, rather than having to overpay to get them a week or two early.
I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the waiting game was always the plan for Dubas. He seems like a GM who learns from his mistakes and grows as he collects more information from around the league. He's adaptive and intelligent, but, perhaps most importantly, he always seems to remain calm under pressure. In years past, he has been the one to blink first and make moves to address the needs of his team, but has often missed out on some pretty substantial pieces because he did his business ahead of time. Well, this year, he hasn't. He seems to be more patient and, while he's missed out on Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko, it may end up netting him a piece that is closer to what the Leafs actually need in a guy like Timo Meier.
Another good sign that Dubas is swinging big is that deals for players of Meier's magnitude take time. They're complicated. The longer the Leafs go without making a trade, the more likely it seems that they are involved in those complicated conversations. The same can be said for a player like Patrick Kane, who has a very high cap hit and full trade protection. These deals take a lot of time to iron out as both teams look to maximize their returns and limit their losses in the trade.
Don't be surprised if we see the Leafs come out of this deadline with one of the major pieces. The longer Dubas and the Leafs wait and the more time that ticks away, the more likely we are to see a big move - which should certainly excite the loyal fans in Leafs Nation.
| POLL | ||
17 FEVRIER | 333 ANSWERS The longer the Leafs go without making a move, the more clear Kyle Dubas' deadline plans are becoming Will Dubas get one of the top trade deadline pieces and truly go "all-in" this year? | ||
| Yes | 205 | 61.6 % |
| No | 128 | 38.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
