Leafs Pre-Deadline Posture – Center

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be out of action for more than two weeks, with the exception of team captain Auston Matthews, winger William Nylander, and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who are making their way to Italy for the Winter Olympic hockey tournament, beginning next Wednesday. While their teammates are likely headed to someplace sunny and warm, the work is just beginning for GM Brad Treliving, who will have less than two weeks to work with between the roster freeze being lifted and the NHL trade deadline on March 6. 

The Leafs, according to a variety of insiders, are in a posture of being sellers but more towards a quick reset and retool instead of a full rebuild. As it has been made clear from recent columns and various podcast appearances, my point of view is that the “tear it down to the studs” rebuild would be asinine, since the three main cogs at forward: Matthews, Nylander, and Matthew Knies, are all locked up for multiple years and are all under the age of 30, and both Matthews and Nylanders have full no-move clauses that would make it impossible for Toronto to get an equal return in a trade. 

The retool would require a strategic selling off of assets for a maximum return before the deadline, including rental players, and players with term at positions where the Leafs have depth. We will take a look at each position on the roster and evaluate what Treliving could be prepared to do.

Center

The situation with the Leafs up the middle is similar to their other positions, where Treliving has options and will likely move one of his veteran centers. Auston Matthews is obviously not going anywhere, and John Tavares has a no-movement clause. Toronto may be looking to eventually move Tavares to the wing or to the third line, but that is something that will not be attainable until the summer. 

Where the Leafs have to make a decision before March 6 is whether to trade Nicolas Roy or Scott Laughton. Trading both veterans would be more indicative of a teardown/rebuild and not a re-tool, which is the direction that Treliving is more likely to follow. The factor that will determine which direction he will go is whether Laughton will sign an extension before the trade deadline.

The former Flyer had trouble settling in after the trade from Philadelphia last March and was not much of a factor in the playoffs, but this season, after returning from a foot injury, the 31-year-old has eight goals in 39 games and has been excellent as a penalty killer and fourth-line energy forward. In fact, at times he has deserved more of an opportunity to play higher in the lineup, but head coach Craig Berube has failed to utilize him in a larger role. 

Roy was part of the return for Mitch Marner from Vegas and has been a good fit as a third-line checking center, especially playing with Dakota Joshua until he was injured. The big right-handed center is 29 years old, has a Stanley Cup ring, and has another year on his contract at an AAV of $3 million. 

The big factor here is whether Toronto can get Laughton extended. If the Leafs can get him signed (and he has indicated he wants to remain in Toronto), then it allows Treliving to shop Roy to contenders looking for an experienced center. There have been rumors that Edmonton has interest in Roy, along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and/or Bobby McMann. 

If Toronto cannot get Laughton signed, then he will be the one on the move before March 6. The return for Laughton will not be as great as Roy, but in their current state, they cannot risk their pending free agents leaving in the summer for nothing.