As one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been there and done that when it comes to basically anything in the hockey world. That includes being a team that’s made major changes to their roster in advance of a Stanley Cup playoff run. But what we’ve seen from the Leafs in the past couple of weeks is something entirely new: a massive change in the roster, and a reset of the organization in the final six weeks of the regular season.
The NHL’s trade deadline is just two days away, but Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has struck on the trade front multiple times of late, including a blockbuster deal with the St. Louis Blues (that brought forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari to the Blue and White), and, on Tuesday, a slew of deals that made Leafs of forward Sam Lafferty and defensemen Erik Gustafsson, Luke Schenn and Jake McCabe, and sent forward Pierre Engvall and D-man Rasmus Sandin out of town.
And here’s the thing – Dubas has moved five new faces (nearly 25 percent of their roster) into the lineup in advance of the trade deadline, but he may not be done yet. As per the essential Cap Friendly, the Leafs currently have $4.7 million in salary cap space, but they need all of that amount to cover the return of veteran goalie Matt Murray, who takes up $4.687 million of cap space. That is, if – IF – they decide they’re comfortable with Murray staying healthy the rest of the season.
As we’ve said before, that is far from a certainty. Murray has played well in spurts, but he’s also struggled and had health problems. There’s a convincing reason for Dubas to go out and use the cap space he has on a veteran to help starter Ilya Samsonov, and that’s because the market for goalies isn’t a seller’s market. A mid-round draft pick might be enough for Toronto to secure a veteran like San Jose’s James Reimer, or Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka, the latter of who would be somewhat pricier, as he’s signed to a very affordable $2.725 million-per-season contract that runs for two more years after this one.
Around Full Press Hockey
NHL: Four Crucial Areas For Maple Leafs The Rest Of This Regular Season
-
Ep 51: Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble Teams; Connor McDavid On WBC Successby Full Press Coverage on March 22, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Jim and Chris are back and are talking about the playoff races in the East […]
NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils Trade Targets
NHL: NHL All Star Game Thoughts and Possible Changes
NFL: What Eddie Robinson Told Doug Williams After He Made History 35 Years Ago
Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored
PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 45: Canucks, Islanders, and The Boston Bruins
The other option for Toronto in net is youngster Joseph Woll, who has been a stellar netminder for the Leafs’ American League affiliate Toronto Marlies. But does Dubas and Leafs brass feel comfortable that, if Samsonov falters, they’d be turning over their season to a 24-year-old who has all of six games of NHL experience? That doesn’t seem ideal.
You can make the argument Dubas should use his cap space for another forward, and that’s probably true. Certainly, after his trade frenzy Tuesday, Dubas has more than enough depth on defense. But in the final hours before the deadline, it’s best for him to add one more forward or one veteran goalie. The Leafs have gotten significantly better in the past two weeks, but we all ought to know by now the injury bug strikes every team, and forces them to tap into their depth.
It’s been a whirlwind in Toronto over the past 11 days, and Dubas may yet come to regret turning over as much of the roster as he’s done. But it’s hard to fault him for doubling down on his vision, and secure his job as the Leafs’ architect for years to come. Teams and their management are supposed to be able to know which players to hold onto, and which ones are non-essential. Dubas has clearly shown he still believes in his core of elite talent, and instead of making changes there, he’s added all kinds of talent to the lineup, with very few Leafs players sacrificed on the trade market.
It could get even crazier for Toronto by Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. No matter what you think of Dubas’ actions, it isn’t boring in Leafs Land, that’s for sure.
-
Ep 51: Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble Teams; Connor McDavid On WBC Success
by Full Press Coverage on March 22, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Jim and Chris are back and are talking about the playoff races in the East […]
-
Ep 50: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary, Playoff Races, Deadline Final Thoughts
by Full Press Coverage on March 11, 2023 at 12:40 pm
Jim and Chris discuss the Lightning's struggles, the Calgary Flames, and […]
-
Staying Alive: Teams Outside Wild Card Spots Find New Life
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back once again joined by Vox Media AM/FM NHL Analyst Bruce Zeman […]
-
The Battle for the Final Wild Card Spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is On
by Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back once again joined by Vox Media AM/FM NHL Analyst Bruce Zeman […]
-
Ep 81: Pasta 50, Playoff Expectations, Bergeron/Krejci, Race For Records
by Full Press Coverage on March 30, 2023 at 2:54 pm
Ian and Chris discuss Pastrnak's contract and joining the 50-goal club. In […]
-
Ep 80: Bruins Acquire Orlov, Hathaway; Pastrnak's Contract, Toronto Trip
by Full Press Coverage on February 24, 2023 at 4:50 pm
Ian and Chris react to the Bruins acquisition of Dmitry Orlov and Garnet […]
-
S4Ep22 - Stanley Cup Playoff Wild Card Races
by Jim Biringer on March 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word of Hockey as he looks at […]
-
S4Ep21 - NHL Trade Deadline Winners and Losers
by Jim Biringer on March 6, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word of Hockey as he brings […]
-
Islanders at Lightning - Hurricanes at Canadiens - Panthers at Blue Jackets
by Broken Controller Media on April 1, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Blues at Predators - Bruins at Penguins - Sabres at Flyers
by Broken Controller Media on April 1, 2023 at 1:35 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Flames at Canucks - Stars at Coyotes
by Broken Controller Media on March 31, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Rangers at Sabres - Red Wings at Jets
by Broken Controller Media on March 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Episode #133: Plays of Coaches Past
by Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 6:14 pm
On the latest edition of The Calder Farmstead AHL Podcast, Sean and Sarah […]
-
Episode #132: The Playoffs Craic
by Full Press Coverage on March 17, 2023 at 2:28 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, it’s a special St. Patrick’s […]
-
Full Press Wild - Saturday, April 1st
by Full Press Coverage on April 1, 2023 at 4:15 pm
Today’s episode covered VGK preview, the playoff hunt, and covered fan […]
-
Full Press Islanders - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 4:35 pm
Previewing the weekends back to back against Tampa and Carolina what needs […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Recapping the Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Detroit Red Wings Thursday […]
-
Full Press Kraken - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Review Thursday’s win over Anaheim, and look at the playoff standings. […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Friday, March 31st
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 2:30 pm
The Blackhawks now have the best odds for Connor Bedard after another […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 738
by Charlie Saunier on March 31, 2023 at 6:11 am
Ep 738 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 2-0 L At Penguins Preview Blues & […]
-
3/31 - Bucks/Celtics, Angels Lose, Bruins Clinch President's Trophy
by Full Press Coverage on March 31, 2023 at 1:57 pm
Ian and John discuss the Celtics win over the Bucks, Shohei Ohtani's […]
-
3/30 - MLB Opening Day, Bucks/Celtics, LeBron And The Lakers
by Full Press Coverage on March 30, 2023 at 1:46 pm
Ian and John discuss MLB's opening day, the big matchup between the Bucks […]
-
3/28 - The Latest on Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson
by Full Press Coverage on March 28, 2023 at 2:51 pm
Ian and John discuss the latest on Aaron Rodgers break up with the Packers […]
-
3/27 - Bruins Are A Wagon; Rodgers, Jets Saga Continues
by Full Press Coverage on March 27, 2023 at 2:39 pm
Ian and John discuss the Bruins 57th win of the season and whether or not […]