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Leafs vs. Coyotes; Q & A, February 16th Edition

February 16, 2019, 12:30 PM ET [472 Comments]
Mike Augello
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to extend their road winning streak to three games against the Arizona Coyotes at the Gila River Arena on Saturday. The Leafs have gone 3-1 on their six-game road swing and are coming off of a 6-3 victory in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The contest marks the return of Auston Matthews to his native Arizona, mere days after the 21-year-old signed a five-year contract extension with the Leafs and scored his 100th career NHL goal.

Winger Andreas Johnsson did not take part in Leafs practice in Arizona on Friday after sustaining a leg injury in a collision with Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb in the second period on Thursday. Johnsson was replaced by Tyler Ennis on the fourth line with Frederik Gauthier and Par Lindholm and the veteran winger will make his return to the lineup after missing seven weeks with an ankle injury.

Frederik Andersen is 5-0-1, with a 2.64 GAA and .923 save percentage since the All-Star break and is expected to make the start for Toronto.

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With nine days until the NHL Trade Deadline, it is unknown what further moves that GM Kyle Dubas will make to improve the Leafs chances in the playoffs or whether he will stand pat after adding defenseman Jake Muzzin last month. Popular opinion is that the club still needs defensive help and some playoff-tested forwards with some sandpaper to provide some pushback if they face the more physical Boston Bruins.

It is time to take some questions from the members of Leafs Nation and respond to some of their concerns:




A - Based on the indicators from insiders like Elliotte Friedman and Pierre LeBrun, the Leafs are in a situation where they need to move money out to add another player. While that is possible, to add another top four defenseman it might mean that someone like Jake Gardiner or Nikita Zaitsev would have to be dealt to make room on the roster and under the salary cap.

That is why it is more likely that a top-four add will happen in the summer and that the likely blueline acquisition will be a veteran depth defenseman who can step into the lineup in case of injury.

I don’t think Liljegren is injury prone, high ankle sprains take a long time to heal and could have a negative effect on his play the rest of this season.


The Muzzel asks : Do you think that Garrett Sparks' performance in New York has Dubas looking for yet another backup goalie option, or will he go with Hutch if they get into a bind?

A - Sparks has lost three of the last four and has been inconsistent in back of Frederik Andersen so far. I don’t see Dubas adding a veteran backup or going to Hutchinson unless there is an injury, because the Leafs would have to waive a healthy Sparks or trade him to open up a spot on the roster.





A - There are some who believe that it will not be difficult to trade Zaitsev in the summer, but with five years at $4.5 Million AAV, it may be necessary for the Leafs to take back a contract in a deal or include a pick or prospect to make a swap more palatable.


WalshyLeafsFan asks : Do you like Jake Gardiner? Or do you think he hinders the team in their ultimate quest for the Cup?

A - The offensive side of Gardiner is very good, but even after 544 games in the NHL, the 28-year-old makes puzzling defensive errors that are debilitating to the club. The Leafs could get away with Gardiner as a protected second or bottom pairing specialist making what he makes right now ($4.025 Million), but as a 20+ minute blueliner making $6+ Million per season (which likely what he will attract as an unrestricted free agent), he is not a good value.





A - The rumors of interest in Kings veteran Kyle Clifford fit with the player that you believe the Leafs need. He makes $1.6 Million and is signed through next season and is known to be a good team player who will provide a bit of pushback. Someone like Florida’s Troy Brouwer also makes sense, since he is inexpensive ($850,000), has playoff experience and is an expiring contract.





A - Edmonton is reportedly looking for an NHL winger for the former #4 overall pick. There has to be some fear that the Oilers may have done to Puljujarvi what they did to Nail Yakupov a few years ago and that the 20-year-old will never reach his potential. Were the Leafs rebuilding, it would make a lot of sense to trade for the big Finn as a reclamation project.





A - That scenario is what made the most sense last summer with Gardiner entering the final year of his contract and makes even more sense with Toronto adding another lefty in Jake Muzzin, but all signs point to the Leafs using him as an own-rental like James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak and letting him test free agency on July 1.





A - Putting the best and most versatile fourth line for the postseason (not taking into consideration the opposition), it would Tyler Ennis, Par Lindholm and Connor Brown. Ennis has playoff experience, Lindholm and Brown are valuable penalty killers and Brown is also trusted by Babcock as someone who can move up into the top nine late in the game for defensive purposes.

Frederik Gauthier has played better recently, but does not play special teams and provides little other than size in the lineup. If Dubas is able to acquire a veteran depth forward such as Clifford, he would likely take the spot of Ennis.

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