The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to make a hockey trade to help shake up their roster. Of course they are, because they have no draft picks to trade.
The report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday came prior to the Leafs blowing a 2-1 third-period lead to the Chicago Blackhawks and losing their fourth of the last five in regulation and fifth game in a row. The issue with Toronto is not only injuries in strategic places, but the fact that the club cannot play competent team defense, which was displayed on Saturday by Philippe Myers being caught out of position on two of the Hawks three goals.
The Leafs are attempting to put a band-aid on the situation by claiming Troy Stecher off of waivers from Edmonton, just so they do not have to put Myers or Dakota Mermis on the ice, but they have to find a way to limit quality scoring chances.
Back to Friedman’s report. It’s all fine and dandy to say that Toronto wants to make a trade and not surrender prospects like Easton Cowan or Ben Danford, but the problem is who wants some of the Leafs current crop of underachievers.
The chatter about trading Nick Robertson has quieted a bit, because frankly, he is one of the Leafs most consistent scorers. The club benefited from the contract termination of David Kampf, opening up over $1 million in cap space, but GM Brad Treliving is not looking to add another salary. He wants to do a money-in, money-out deal. Trading one of the goalies is not feasible, since Anthony Stolarz cannot handle the workload of being a #1 goalie, and Joseph Woll needs a dependable tandem partner to split the workload. Dealing Dennis Hildeby would not bring much back, and Toronto needs a dependable third stringer in case either is unavailable.
On defense, observers of the club can cackle and crow, but Morgan Rielly is not waiving his no-movement clause. Swapping Brandon Carlo might make sense if the Leafs were in on a Rasmus Andersson deal to bring back another righty shooter, but Friedman believes that is not a fit for both Toronto and Calgary.
No one in their right mind would deal anything of significance for Simon Benoit.
The indication is that Treliving is not looking to move a core piece, which leaves middle-lineup candidates like Max Domi, Matias Maccelli, or Bobby McMann. Domi frankly is a liability every time he takes to the ice playing center, but the club now has three of their top four centers out injured. Maccelli has eight points in 18 games, but he has been a hockey vagabond, drifting from line to line each game.
McMann has been good at sticking up for teammates and has five goals, but he also has not found a regular line combo. Adding to the current injuries of Chris Tanev, Carlo, Auston Matthews, Scott Laughton, and Anthony Stolarz, the Leafs will also be without center Nicolas Roy for the next game against St. Louis on Tuesday due to an upper body injury.
Jacob Quillan has been recalled from the AHL Marlies, and it is likely that he and Stecher will be in the lineup against the Blues on Tuesday.
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