How deep will the Toronto Maple Leafs go heading into the NHL trade deadline and into the offseason?
Daily confrontation (youtube): David Pagnotta on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, on the Toronto Maple Leafs and what lies ahead heading into the trade deadline and next season. When will the Maple Leafs approach Morgan Rielly? Will they arrest Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Do they re-sign Bobby McMann or trade him? How could they act differently?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “William Nylander, we should also mention that he is not practicing for the Swedes. We strongly suspect so.”
Pagnotta: “Not ideal.”
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Marek: “No, not ideal. I mean, to your point and also to your point about Josh Morrissey, like any injury in the Olympics to their big boys, I mean, I don’t actually think the Maple Leafs will make the playoffs. I just think they’re too far back, too many teams. Same goes for the Florida Panthers. But nevertheless, any injury to the big boys here, that pretty much confirms what Brad Treliving is going to do.”
But how deep, we’ve heard a lot of names like, how deep do you think this can go? Given that, I find it hard to believe that the parent company wants to tear down too much here.”
Pagnotta: “No, I agree with you on that. I don’t expect that to be the case. But I do think there will be some cosmetic changes, and I also think there will be others that will be a little more aggressive in that regard.”
And I don’t think, I think they’re going to have a conversation with Morgan Rielly. I don’t think that will be the case now. I could be wrong. I don’t think that will be the case now. I think it’s once the season ends that they’ll go back to Morgan Riley and say, ‘we need to do something bold here if you want to consider a move.
He has the complete no-trade or no-move, whatever it is. He’s actually in control. I think this will eventually happen if they miss the playoffs, which will probably happen in the summer. And he can control, he controls it. So they can ask him, and he can say no. And I think they had a casual conversation about it at the end of last season. It obviously didn’t make him stay and try to ramp up his offseason training.
But I do think they’re going to look at some different options. You know, I think, you know, teams started sniffing around (Ekman-Larsson). I don’t know how much appetite the Leafs have to actually do that. He is their best defender this season. But if someone is willing to pay a premium, I think they’ll consider it.
I think there will be some other players as well. As if they have to make a decision. I think primarily of Bobby McMann. Is five times five realistic to keep him, and do they want to do that instead of trying to get something back? Can they get a first-round pick and maybe something else for him, you know, out there? But the possibilities are limited to some extent. So there’s that.
I think Simon Benoit will be someone that some teams will be interested in and, you know, have a conversation with. And I think (GM Brad Treliving) will stick around for some of the other pieces that he’s done before, whether it’s (Brandon) Carlo, Max Domi, Matias Maccelli and so on. I think this selection needs some tinkering.
Because remember, I also think that Dakota Joshua, the expectation is that he will be back after the Olympics. So they’re going to fill some holes with some of their guys who are a little beat up.
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But you know, they’re going to have to seriously think about expanding this roster a little bit for next season, or, excuse me, going into the summer and making some bigger changes next season.
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