Nothing Exciting For Maple Leafs Close to Trade Deadline

The Toronto Maple Leafs are on a slide post-Olympic break, and with the playoffs looking more bleak with each loss, the Leafs have become sellers before the NHL trade deadline hits on Friday, March 6. While a handful of teams did business on Wednesday — a nice little kickstart to the last couple days of the deadline — it doesn’t look like much will happen as the Leafs don’t have a lot of bargaining chips in their lineup.

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Three Out For “Roster Management Purposes”

Although all three players—center Scott Laughton, winger Bobby McMann, and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson—are solid contributors, they likely won’t bring the Toronto Maple Leafs a significant return. Ekman-Larsson could help a contender as a steady, everyday defenseman for a playoff push, while McMann offers some secondary scoring. Still, even if the Leafs have shifted toward selling ahead of the trade deadline, the expected return for these players may be modest. Notably, all three were scratched ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

Trades Won’t Hit Radar For Most Leafs Fans

If one or all three of the players in Ekman-Larsson, McMann, and Laughton get traded, most Leafs fans will brush this off as a minor deal. The obvious thing on every Leafs fan’s mind is what the team will do in the offseason.

Will the Leafs completely dismantle the team? Trade someone like a Morgan Rielly. Will they keep their management in head coach Craig Berube and General Manager Brad Treliving? It’s a mystery, but it’s run-of-the-mill business for the Maple Leafs brass to completely dismantle when things aren’t going their way.

Leafs Need To Look At The Way Of The Red Wings

The Maple Leafs don’t necessarily need a full dismantling, but they could benefit from taking a page out of the playbook of Detroit Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman. Detroit has taken a slow, methodical approach to developing its players, drafting talent, and carefully managing the NHL salary cap.

For a team like the Leafs, operating under intense media scrutiny, adopting that kind of patient strategy can be difficult. However, more teams have found long-term success through disciplined roster building than through splashy trades or massive contracts for top players.

This offseason will reveal whether Toronto chooses to make major changes or instead commits to a more gradual path toward competing for the Stanley Cup.

Related: Multiple Maple Leafs Players To Be Held Out for Wednesday Game