The NHL is one week away from the Olympic roster freeze, which is likely to act as a second trade deadline in this chaotic schedule. Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading indicated that the one complaint that contenders have currently is that there are not enough sellers.
This is the opportunity that should be taken advantage of by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stop with the illusions that the Leafs can climb back into the playoff race, because according to Moneypuck, their postseason odds are a measly 4.3% and anyone watching the club during their five-game homestand debacle that was punctuated by a 7-4 pistol-whipping from the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday recognizes that they are too injured, too slow, and too defensively inept to be competitive this season.
That does not mean that the Leafs should tear it down to the studs by dealing Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies like some of the moronic former players and executives who portray themselves as experts are saying, but it does mean that Toronto management needs to recognize that the 2025-26 season was a disaster and that they must pivot towards re-tooling their roster to get younger, faster, and to restock their draft capital.
Being A Seller Is Smart And Prudent
That would mean jumping in as a seller before the Olympic break or being ready to make moves right after the break to get the best return possible, while other teams are still hedging their bets and crossing their fingers that they can stay competitive in the race. That would mean that MLSE head Keith Pelley would buy in on a reset of their roster and allowing GM Brad Treliving to trade more than just the rentals (Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, etc).
There has been chatter that the Leafs want to re-sign Laughton, and as a center and someone who reportedly wants to stay in Toronto, re-upping him for three or four years at a reasonable salary makes sense, but McMann is a big, fast winger who will probably require as much as $5 million on a new deal.
The 29-year-old is on pace to score 20 goals for the second straight season, and his $1.35 million salary would easily fit under the salary cap of a number of contending teams. It might be fanciful to predict that Treliving could get a first-round pick for McMann, but if the Leafs decide to sell before others do, and are able to generate a market for the winger, anything is possible.
Where the club could recoup young players and/or prospects/draft picks is by trading players with years of retention left, but that again requires the foresight of MLSE to allow Treliving, even if he is a lame duck GM to make those moves. The Leafs are in Seattle to open up a four-game Western road swing against the Kraken on Thursday, and will go to Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton before the nearly three-week respite for the games in Milano Cortina.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (24-20-9 – 57 POINTS)
vs.
SEATTLE KRAKEN (24-19-9 – 57 POINTS)
JANUARY 29, 2026 ▪ 10:00 PM EST ▪ CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA (SEATTLE, WA)
TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY vs. SEATTLE KRAKEN
| All-Time Record: | 7-1-1 (9 Games) |
| All-Time Road Record: | 4-0-0 (4 Games) |
| 2024-25: | 2-0-0 |
| Last Five: | 4-0-1 |
| First Matchup Between Clubs: | February 14, 2022 (Toronto 6 at Seattle 2) |
| All-Time Record: | 7-1-1 (9 Games) |
| All-Time Home Record: | 3-1-1 (5 Games) |
| All-Time Road Record: | 4-0-0 (4 Games) |
| Last Road Win vs. Opponent: | February 6, 2025 (Toronto 3 at Seattle 1) |
MAPLE LEAFS / KRAKEN – 2025-26 TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | SEATTLE | |
| Goals For Per Game: | 3.28 (11th) | 2.83 (24th-T) |
| Goals Against Per Game: | 3.43 (29th-T) | 2.90 (10th) |
| Power Play %: | 17.2 (24th) | 22.5 (11th) |
| Penalty Kill %: | 83.2 (7th) | 71.9 (31st) |
| Shots For Per Game: | 27.1 (21st) | 25.5 (29th) |
| Shots Against Per Game: | 31.8 (32nd) | 29.2 (24th) |
| Faceoff %: | 56.5 (1st) | 47.3 (26th-T) |
| (NHL rank in parenthesis) | ||
Please see attached for additional information.
