The dangerous game of filling up, giving Villeneuve a look and buying anyway: Brochures

The question of whether or not the Leafs should be trade deadline sellers has been answered. The question shifts to how many players to ship and who? Other questions about what needs to be done to right the ship’s direction need to be asked and with the NHL coming to a standstill in the coming days, hearing from Keith Pelley seems like a necessity.

Here are some other thoughts on the current state of the Leafs:

Kessel trading flashbacks

On the plus side, the Maple Leafs learned from the Phil Kessel situation and actually placed a protection on the first round pick that they traded to the Bruins to acquire Brandon Carlo. The downside was that it was only a top five pick protection and where the Leafs sit today, they have given the Bruins another top ten selection in the upcoming draft. Couple that with the emergence of Fraser Minten and the fact that Carlo has given the Leafs absolutely nothing, and it becomes painfully clear that Toronto should never make another trade with Boston.

That said, if the Leafs sell aggressively enough at the trade deadline and potentially lock down some broken players for the rest of the season, it’s entirely possible the Leafs could make a run at the bottom five spots in the NHL. They are currently seven points ahead of Rangers who currently hold this distinction.

The problem is they won’t be bad for Vancouver. The teams below the Leafs in the standings will also largely be executing the sellout and shutdown playbook and that makes it virtually impossible to fall that low in the standings. And if the Leafs manage to finish with the 4th or 5th worst record in the league, they still have to survive the draft lottery and not get bumped lower.

The reality is that the Bruins are going to get a pick that could have been a gamechanger for the Leafs, and that sucks. It should undoubtedly be a criminal offense for Brad Treliving. But the reality is that tanking is too risky and the Leafs are better off if they get sellers and players healthy for next season but can still make as competitive a push as possible with the limited resources they have. If they are going to go down the season-ending surgery route with someone, they would be wise to commit to it early. They would be wise to include contracts back into their deals, which could help round out the roster, which should also include players motivated to make their case for spots in the Leafs lineup in 2026-2027.

Leaves need to know what they have

The Maple Leafs have a pretty bare cupboard when it comes to prospects. A decade of strong regular seasons and ambitious postseasons will make that happen. And while the Leafs don’t have many prospects that the Leafs can put in the lineup, there are a few players that there should be curiosity about.

Jacob Quillan and Henry Thrun occasionally get their cups of coffee from the Leafs. The post-Olympic break should mean a more serious outlook for each of these players. It appears Quillan could be a potential fourth-line energy option for next season that keeps costs well under control. By spending around $1 million on a fourth-line prospect instead of paying the multi-million contract for someone like Scott Laughton, the Leafs can tackle the more important challenges higher up the depth chart instead of continuing to pay premiums for depth.

Henry Thrun is someone the Leafs will have to make a decision on by the summer. Is it worth renewing? You’ll have to play him to find out, and there’s little risk in taking Simon Benoit, Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers out of the mix so the Leafs can look at a player the Sharks once thought quite highly of.

A player like Benoit-Olivier Groulx on the Marlies is another player the Leafs should be curious about as a cheap depth option. He has been a consistent performer at the AHL level and watching him at a low-risk time in the Leafs season could reveal whether he too can find himself at the bottom of the roster next year, allowing the Leafs to be more aggressive in pursuing top talent.

William Villeneuve is the player the Leafs should be most curious about and while his numbers have dipped since his stronger start to the season, as a 23-year-old pending restricted free agent who happens to be a puck shooting right winger, Villeneuve is someone worth exploring at the NHL level. While Noah Chadwick may be the defensive prospect the Leafs are most excited about joining the Marlies, his age gives the Leafs a little more time. Villeneuve, on the other hand, is someone the Leafs should have a full assessment of before the summer and will likely give the Leafs at least what they got from Philippe Myers.

The rest of this season should consist of preparing for the 2026-2027 season and beyond. The Leafs won’t do themselves any favors by leaning on players they know need to move on.

Sell ​​to buy

Using the current version of the New York Rangers as an example of doing something right seems like a flawed premise, but last year when they sold Jacob Trouba, Reilly Smith and Ryan Lindgren, they also brought in JT Miller and Will Borgen with the intention of them playing meaningful roles on their team.

The Leafs shouldn’t be buyers in the rental market, that’s pretty clear, but bringing in under contract assets and using the trade deadline to land a job this offseason wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Aside from the fact that the Maple Leafs likely don’t have the resources to sign someone like Elias Pettersson from Vancouver, ignoring the impact options available would be a misstep, and in a more cost-controlled viable realm of additions, looking at players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Shane Wright are players who not only come with skill and upside, but also meet the Leafs’ need to bring in younger options, as opposed to their increasingly slow-moving group of 30+ year olds on the market. team.

Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas are a few other notable players with their names, though it’s hard to see a direct matchup with the Blues unless the Leafs flip the future on other deals to find a fit.

Considering how stagnant free agency was last summer, it feels like a missed opportunity to sit out a time when good players are made available and as clubs like the Avalanche, Panthers and Golden Knights have proven, teams with aggressive GMs seem to thrive better than their risk-averse peers.

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