What I’m hearing about the Maple Leafs ahead of the trade deadline: ‘Teams smell blood in the water’
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ “roster management” scratches Scott Laughton, Bobby McMann and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Wednesday caught the gamers as offguard as everybody else after head coach Craig Berube had mentioned they’d ice a full lineup that night time.
It wasn’t till mid-afternoon that Laughton, McMann and Ekman-Larsson had been knowledgeable they’d be held out of a sport Toronto went on to lose 4-3 in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils.
Still, whilst Thursday started with common supervisor Brad Treliving taking calls on these three gamers and a quantity of their teammates, it wasn’t but clear how lively the Leafs could be ahead of Friday’s 3 pm ET trade deadline.
There was no lack of want to begin stockpiling future belongings amid a season in which the Leafs have unexpectedly gone from a contender to an also-ran. They’ve made a number of gamers accessible for trade — many of whom have formally been on provide for a month, in response to league sources. But the bidding has been sluggish. They weren’t sitting on any formal gives as of Thursday morning.
That could also be seen as a byproduct of a late-developing market, however it’s additionally come whereas the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators have began cashing in their chips for robust draft-pick returns in current days.
That’s raised the temperature on the Leafs as they sit on the outdoors wanting in.
They’ve acquired a bit of bit of all the pieces to supply as much as rival groups, from helpful forwards on low cost, expiring contracts (McMann, Laughton) to a right-shot, bottom-six middle (Nicolas Roy) to a flexible 20-minute-per-night defenseman (Ekman-Larsson) to a goaltender (Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll) and a slew of depth choices that will not include any sticker shock with regards to acquisition value (Simon Benoit, Calle Järnkrok, Steven Lorentz and others).
The most beneficial belongings they’ve put in play are Ekman-Larsson, McMann, Laughton and Roy, who’s below contract by means of the finish of subsequent season and carries an asking value of a first-round choose. Whether the Leafs may garner a first-rounder — or maybe a number of seconds — as half of a return for Ekman-Larsson or McMann will rely on the market.
Toronto can nonetheless retain wage on as many as three gamers in trades and owns a big cap room to take again a contract if it helps juice the return or get a deal throughout the end line. Chris Tanev had core muscle surgical procedure on Wednesday and is eligible for the season-ending long-term-injured-reserve designation, if a contact extra cap room is required, as nicely.
Meanwhile, the Leafs have not closed the door on signing McMann to a contract extension slightly than buying and selling him. There’s been ongoing dialogue between the participant’s camp and Leafs administration over the final week, in response to league sources, however no obvious progress in direction of a brand new deal.
McMann is seemingly in a powerful place to carry agency on his ask for a contract that exceeds $20 million in complete worth whereas sitting one objective shy of his second straight 20-goal season. The 2026 free-agent class is skinny, the wage cap is because of take one other significant soar to $104 million and he noticed Kiefer Sherwood — an inexpensive comparable in charge of manufacturing, albeit a extra bodily winger and higher play driver — land a $28.75 million, five-year deal from the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
An extension for Laughton, the Leafs’ different pending unrestricted free agent of notice, appears much less possible.
While the 31-year-old native of close by Oakville, Ont., would love to remain, and administration has indicated a common willingness to maintain him, there had been no critical contract negotiations earlier than Laughton was held out of Wednesday’s sport, in response to league sources.
A high-character, no-maintenance veteran, Laughton would deliver engaging depth to any staff bracing for a playoff run. The Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings are amongst those that have poked round on him.
Then there may be Ekman-Larsson, recent off an look at the Milan Olympics with Sweden and on account of welcome a brand new child in the close to future. He signed a four-year free-agent contract with the Leafs 20 months in the past and would not wish to go wherever. But he is a positive-value asset having a powerful season and solely owns a 16-team no-trade record.
With different veteran defensemen already bringing again strong returns on this trade market — together with MacKenzie Weegar and Tyler Myers, each of whom have time period remaining on their contracts past this season, like Ekman-Larsson — the Leafs are exploring the market.
If all the pieces falls into place, they may nonetheless be massive sellers at this deadline.
But with the hours ticking away, it’s removed from a certainty.
One league supply identified that in order to facilitate a deadline like the 2025 Boston Bruins had, “You need to have guys over a barrel.” Boston leveraged robust offers out of the Edmonton Oilers (Trent Frederic), the Avalanche (Charlie Coyle) and the Leafs (Brandon Carlo) a yr in the past as a result of they held belongings that had been in brief provide and located extremely motivated consumers on the line.
“I don’t think he has teams,” the league supply mentioned of Treliving. “Other teams smell blood in the water there and won’t give in on return.”
Perhaps that can change as soon as the market actually heats up.
The Leafs can look to their very own expertise as consumers eventually yr’s deadline for instance of how issues can evolve when the closing bell approaches. They had a right-shot defenseman at the high of their want record final March and solely turned their focus to Carlo in the ultimate hour after exploring different choices, in the end hammering out a trade that despatched prospect Fraser Minten, their 2026 first-round choose and a 2025 fourth-rounder to a division rival with nearly no time to spare.
With the profit of hindsight, it is a deal the Leafs would not do once more.
This time round, they’ll solely hope the shoe is on the different foot.
