Insider Shares Harsh Reality that May Prevent Leafs from Landing Stanley Cup Winner
Photo credit: TSN
Darren Dreger says there is interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs in signing free agent Brandon Saad, but there's also a harsh reality that will likely prevent it.
While TSN's Darren Dreger has confirmed some exciting news about Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who is set to captain Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, fans in Toronto will likely be disappointed on another front.
Leafs GM Brad Treliving reportedly has interest in potentially signing newly-minted free agent Brandon Saad, who won two Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks.
However, Dreger would not call the Leafs' interest in Saad more than "moderate" because of some fairly obvious issues.
"As much as I like the history with Craig Berube and Brandon Saad, and the fact that Saad could complement what the Toronto Maple Leafs have -- because he can skate, he can provide secondary scoring -- he hasn't been providing much [scoring] with the St. Louis Blues at this point in the year, which is why he's going through this process."
The process that Dreger is referring to is Saad going on waivers to have his contract terminated by the St. Louis Blues, making him a free agent who can sign with any team.
Dreger added the second big reason why he can't see Saad being signed by the Maple Leafs, which is because the team has other areas to worry about.
"Toronto has other needs. We watched the game the Leafs played against the Minnesota Wild. Yes, we know that John Tavares is coming back, he should be back after the weekend. But they're suspect up the middle. GM Brad Treliving is looking at the centre market and perhaps some help on the blueline."
While the two-time Stanley Cup champion may be an option for the Maple Leafs, Dreger explained that signing Saad could very well mean not being able to add anything else of consequence at the deadline, sacrificing the bigger need for something that is far from a sure thing.
Saad must be confident that a team will take a chance on him as he's leaving millions of dollars on the table to walk away from the St. Louis Blues. However, Dreger seems to feel that team is very unlikely to be the Maple Leafs.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 30 | 1422 ANSWERS Insider Shares Harsh Reality that May Prevent Leafs from Landing Stanley Cup Winner Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs should sign Brandon Saad? | ||
| Yes | 346 | 24.3 % |
| No | 596 | 41.9 % |
| Depends on the cost | 406 | 28.6 % |
| Not sure | 74 | 5.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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