The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to build on the success of their 5-2 victory over Nashville on Monday, as they complete their two-game mini road trip against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Wednesday.
A victory would move the Leafs into a tie with Carolina for the second wild card spot and Florida for third place in Atlantic Division, but that will be a challenge against a stingy Dallas defense that has allowed a league-low 122 goals against, but is in the bottom five of the NHL in goals scored (128).
“We are going to need a presence at the net. (Dallas) does a real good job of making it hard to get there.” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "The offense will be hard to come by, so we want to make good on our chances. We also have to realize that we have to be patient and disciplined. They're a team that defends really well, transitions when you're vulnerable, and gets going the other way."
Rick Bowness is wearing this 1937/38 NHL all-star ring on the bench tonight while coaching against Toronto. It belonged to Gordie Drillon, the last #leafs player to lead the league in scoring and the best friend of Rick's dad, Bob. https://t.co/YVaBz8zQNapic.twitter.com/kNZKcfClJA
Frederik Andersen, who made 34 saves in the victory over the Predators, will get the start for the Leafs, while Ben Bishop (17-10-3, 2.27 GAA, .927 Save %) will get be between the pipes for the Stars.
Kasperi Kapanen (who missed the final two periods on Monday with an arm injury) practiced on Tuesday and is expected to play and Toronto will not make any other changes to their lineup, while Dallas leading goal scorer Roope Hintz (who suffered a upper-body injury in a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay) will not play.
*******
Kyle Dubas has undoubtedly been beating the bushes for a trade to acquire some defensive help since the Morgan Rielly injury. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his “31 Thoughts” column, the Leafs GM has been investigating available defenseman on the market, but will only pull the trigger if his team plays with a level of consistency and shows they are a viable playoff contender before the February 24th deadline.
Friedman indicates that Toronto may investigate the rental market, but would prefer to add a right-handed blueliner with term on his contract. One possibility is Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, who has a $6 Million cap hit but is signed through 2023.
A trade for Dumba would likely have to include a forward like Kasperi Kapanen, Alex Kerfoot or Andreas Johnsson, who are under control for multiple years and would also necessitate the Leafs moving out another significant cap hit like Cody Ceci because of the 25-year-old’s large cap hit.
Former Leafs GM Brian Burke believes the Leafs could be listening to possible offers for defenseman Tyson Barrie before the deadline. The 28-year-old pending UFA would be an extremely attractive add for a cap-limited contender with his $2.75 Million contract, but that would only make sense if in return Toronto were able to get back a right handed blueliner who they have control over or a package of young players.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»