Whirlwind Trade Period For Maple Leafs May Not Be Over Just Yet

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.

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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.