What Friday's lack of moves means for the Leafs' roster as we approach the playoffs
Yesterday, as the NHL's trade deadline was approaching, many wondered if GM Kyle Dubas was done tinkering with his NHL roster. The 3 p.m. deadline passed and Toronto stood pat for the day, at least at the NHL level. However, the Leafs had already landed six new roster players in the days and weeks prior to the deadline, so to say they were inactive this year would be largely inaccurate.
What the Leafs were able to do this week was leave enough cap space open to activate injured goaltender Matt Murray. Murray is scheduled to start tonight in goal against the Vancouver Canucks, provided the team's medical staff will sign off and give him a clean bill of health. Heading into the deadline, many wondered if Toronto would acquire a goaltender, given Murray has not played a game since January 17th due to injury. But clearly, Murray's improved health status, combined with the stellar play of 3rd string goalie Joseph Woll has allowed the team to avoid pushing for an insurance goaltender.
The Leafs have also left enough space to sign 20-year-old prospect Matthew Knies when his season in the NCAA ends. Knies is currently the Leafs' top prospect. The Leafs' second round draft pick in 2021 (57th overall) has posted 37 points (20 goals & 17 assists) in 33 games for the University of Minnesota this season. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 210 pounds, it will be interesting to see if he can make an immediate impact in the NHL in the latter stages of the season.
In the end, what this will mean for the Leafs is that they've added Ryan O'Reilly, Jake McCabe, Luke Schenn, Noel Acciari, Sam Lafferty, Erik Gustafsson and Matthew Knies - a solid crew of upgrades by anyone's standards.
| POLL | ||
MARS 4 | 252 ANSWERS What Friday's lack of moves means for the Leafs' roster as we approach the playoffs Did Kyle Dubas do enough in the weeks leading up to the deadline to propel the Leafs past Tampa in round 1? | ||
| Yes | 154 | 61.1 % |
| No | 55 | 21.8 % |
| Not sure yet | 43 | 17.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
