Maple Leafs Have Specific Game Plan Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in an interesting position heading into Friday’s NHL trade deadline. They’d like to be active, and they’re aggressively looking at their options, but they’re also a cap team with little money to spend. Without making other corresponding moves, there isn’t a whole lot GM Brad Treliving can do.

So, how does a team that has a lot they want to accomplish get done everything they’d like without the financial room to make big deals? The answer seems to be retention or a third team getting involved in their trade business.

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The GM weighed in on the upcoming trade deadline, saying that he’s happy with where his team is at. Still, he is looking to improve the team amid a quiet trade scene.

Maple Leafs’ Strategy Is to Get Others to Take Money

It sounds like the Maple Leafs aren’t letting money stand in the way of their efforts. Their strategy is to get other teams to take on some of their financial responsibility. The Athletic writes, “A tight cap situation looms over every decision in Toronto, which is why Treliving is likely to seek salary retention from any seller and/or use another team as a third-party broker to make the money work.”

As for what the Leafs want to do, they add:

“It’s nearly decision time after a months-long pursuit of a third-line center. The Leafs have looked at Brayden Schenn in St. Louis and Scott Laughton in Philadelphia, while keeping tabs on fall-back rental options like Montreal’s Jake Evans, Seattle’s Yanni Gourde and Utah’s Nick Bjugstad. Meanwhile, GM Brad Treliving is also hoping to procure another depth defenseman who can play the right side.”

Will the Leafs pull off any of these trades? It remains to be seen, and a few players, like Schenn and Laughton, have already suggested it’s unlikely they look to go anywhere. Meanwhile, their teams have suggested they aren’t eager to trade them.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Canadiens, Panthers, Rangers