How deep do the Toronto Maple Leafs go heading into the NHL trade deadline and in the offseason?
Daily Faceoff (youtube): David Pagnotta on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs and what might be in store for them heading into the trade deadline and into the next season. When will the Maple Leafs approach Morgan Rielly? Do they keep Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Do they re-sign Bobby McMann or trade him? How else could they trade?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “William Nylander, we should mention as well, not practicing for the Swedes. We suspect strongly.”
Pagnotta: “Not ideal.”
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Marek: “No, not ideal. I mean, to your point to also to your point about Josh Morrissey, like, any injury at the Olympics for their big guys, that pretty much, I mean, I don’t think the Maple Leafs make the playoffs anyhow. I just think that they’re too far back, too many teams. Same thing for the Florida Panthers. But nonetheless, any injury to the big boys here, that pretty much solidifies what Brad Treliving is going to do.
How deep, though, like, we’ve heard, like, a lot of names like, how deep do you think this can go? Given that I have a hard time believing that the parent company wants to tear down too much here.”
Pagnotta: “No, I agree with you on that one. I don’t anticipate that being the case. But I do think there are going to be some cosmetic changes, and I do think they’re going to be others that are going to be a little bit more aggressive in that front.
And I don’t think, I think they’re going to have a conversation with Morgan Rielly. I don’t think it’s going to be now. I could be wrong. I don’t think it’s going to be now. I think it’ll be once the season concludes that they’re going to go back to Morgan Riley and say, ‘we’ve got to do something bold here, will you consider a move.
He’s got the full no-trade or no-move, whatever it is. He’s, he’s got control, basically. I think that’s something that will eventually happen if they miss the playoffs, and that’s likely to happen in the summer. And he can control, he controls it. So they can ask him, and he may say no. And I believe they had a loose conversation at the end of last season about it. Obviously didn’t lead to anything other than him staying and trying to ramp up his offseason training.
But I do think that they’re going to take a look at a number of, a number of different options. You know, I think, you know, teams started poking around on (Ekman-Larsson). I don’t know how much of an appetite the Leafs have to actually do that. He’s been their best defenseman this season. But if somebody is willing to pay a premium, I think they consider it.
I think there are going to be some other players as well. Like they have to make a decision. I think first and foremost on Bobby McMann. Is five times five realistic to hold on to him, and do they want to do that versus try to recoup an asset? Can they get a first-round pick and maybe something else for him, you know, out there? But the options to some degree are limited. So there’s that.
I think Simon Benoit is going to be somebody that some teams are going to have interest in, and, you know, have a conversation with. And I think (GM Brad Treliving) is going to continue to kind of dangle some other pieces that he’s done before, be it (Brandon) Carlo, Max Domi, Matias Maccelli and so on. I think they’re going to be some, some tinkering that needs to be done with this roster.
Because keep in mind, I also think that Dakota Joshua, the anticipation is that he’ll be back after Olympics. So they’re going to fill some holes with some of their guys that are, that are banged up a little bit.
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But, you know, they’re going to have to take some serious thought into kind of augmenting this roster a tiny bit going into next season, or, excuse me, going into the summer to make some more bigger changes into next season.”
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