Breaking news – The Leafs have dealt goalie Michael Hutchinson to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Calle Rosen.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have proven one thing through 63 games of the 2019-20 regular season, they are too flawed and to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. If any further evidence was needed after three pitiful losses to Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Carolina last week, the Leafs record against clubs that most people would consider the top echelon in the Eastern Conference; the Penguins, Boston, Tampa Bay, and Washington, is 2-6-1.
Kyle Dubas said in the weeks preceding the deadline that the club’s performance would determine the path that he would take going into the deadline, and the results of last week have likely put the Leafs GM in the position of not expending further assets to plug holes with rentals.
At this point, making a deal to add a rental blueliner or a depth forward to help with the Leafs defensive issues would be like a passenger on the Titanic shutting a porthole window when the ship has a 400-foot gash in its side.
A sign that Dubas may have pulled out of any deadline adds were reports on Sunday that the Leafs cooled on adding free agent defenseman Zach Bogosian before the veteran signed with the Lightning, where he likely will be a seventh or eighth blueliner. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on Sunday that the likelihood of Toronto moving pending free agent Tyson Barrie increased after the disastrous week.
In a perfect world, Dubas would like to move a rental in Barrie for a package that would include a first round pick or for a defenseman with term. If the Leafs can only get picks, they could be flipped to another team for a long-term solution on the blueline, but even if that option is not available, the Leafs should not hold on to Barrie past 3pm and let him walk after the season and have nothing to show for it.
Toronto have continually done this, keeping players on expiring contracts (James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner) instead of dealing them for future assets when they had little or no chance of advancing in the postseason. If the Leafs earn a wildcard spot or beat out Florida for third place in the Atlantic, even the most optimistic observer would say they are nothing better than a long shot to beat Boston, Tampa, Pittsburgh, or Washington.
At the minimum, Dubas can recoup the picks the Leafs gave up to acquire goalie Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford from Los Angeles earlier this month and possibly the first rounder they moved to Carolina to get them to buyout Patrick Marleau.
A first is not out of the question for Barrie, since that has been the going rate to acquire offensive defenseman in the past at the deadline, and reports of three Pacific Division clubs being interested could get a bidding war started for a valuable power play quarterback.
Will update……
Make sure to watch the HockeyBuzz Trade Deadline show starting at Noon:
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