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With the exception of Auston Matthews participating in the All-Star game Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay, the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be in action until Wednesday.
The club has 31 games remaining in the regular season, but more than likely they will be in the same place in mid-April that they are right now; in third spot of the Atlantic Division playing either Boston or Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs.
Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello may choose to stand pat at the NHL Trade Deadline on February 26, but he could take the opportunity of making a move for a defenseman to improve the club’s chances of getting past the first round.
It’s time to go to the wonderful world of Twitter for your questions on the Leafs:
Do you think the Leafs move any of their pending UFA's prior to the deadline?
— Nick Smith (@nssmitty) January 27, 2018
A – It’s looking less and less likely as the deadline approaches. All indications are that the Leafs will try to re-sign James van Riemsdyk before July 1st, but it all depends on whether they can get William Nylander to sign a less costly bridge deal instead of a six-or-seven year deal.
Tyler Bozak would bring back a healthy return as a rental, but the Leafs do not want to move Patrick Marleau up the middle for the rest of the year and there are no viable internal options to replace him.
Leo Komarov is a favorite of Mike Babcock and even though he was recently moved down to the fourth line, his importance as a trusted veteran has not declined.
After watching Gardiner with Hainsey I've grown to appreciate what a steadying force H is on back end. Do you think Leafs could just pursue another less expensive D such as Hainsey at deadline as opposed to some blockbuster for McDonagh etc? If so, who are some candidates?
— Demian (@MaxDemian36) January 27, 2018
A – The options on the defensive rental market are not great, which is why some observers believe that blueliners with a year remaining on their contracts like McDonagh or Niklas Hjalmarsson could be on the move because of the price they could attract.
Mike Green is the top rental blueline option, but the Red Wings defenseman is expected to draw as much as a first round pick in a trade and does not offer the Leafs what they need in terms of an upgrade.
Erik Gudbranson and Ian Cole have been mentioned as possible trade targets, but there is debate whether they would be a significant upgrade over what they already have. A dark horse could be former Leaf Luke Schenn, who would likely not be a costly acquisition from Arizona.
Does the long awaited trade for a right handed D happen in the off season? If so, who are your top three potential candidates and why?
— steve clay (@steveclay) January 27, 2018
A – I’m not sure that the Leafs are going to limit themselves to just right-handed defensemen over the summer, since possible targets like Ryan McDonagh, Hjalmarsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are lefties and prospects like Travis Dermott and Timothy Liljegren can or do play the right side.
Obviously if Erik Karlsson is truly available via trade, any team with a need on the blueline will be interested, but I’m skeptical that the Sens would trade him inside the Atlantic Division to their greatest rival.
Since the Leafs continue to delve into the KHL for talent, two possible options are Igor Ozhiganov and Slava Voynov. Brendan Shanahan and Lamoriello met with the 25-year-old CSKA Moscow defender last offseason and there have been indications that a tentative agreement was made with Ozhiganov similar to what Toronto and Nikita Zaitsev reached the summer before he signed.
Voynov, 28, has played 2 ½ seasons in the KHL after leaving the Los Angeles Kings, and is rumored to be considering a return to North America and requesting reinstatement from the NHL after after being arrested and plead down to misdemeanor spousal abuse charges.
Toronto would likely have to trade with the Kings for his rights and there might be some PR blowback, but Voynov could be an opportunity to bring in a top four defenseman at a greatly reduced price.
Can you please tell me what will happen to Lou? And who will be gm next year??
— Ronnie Alcock` (@Ron_2560) January 27, 2018
A - Based the reporting that has been out there since the start of the season, my best guess is that the current management structure of Lamoriello, Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas will remain unchanged for next season, especially with a number of important contractual situations pending in the summer.
Thoughts on the Leafs trying to land a #3 (move bozak to 4) center or a dom moore replacement and just go with the 8 D men they have? (Also They should deal JVR, but wont)
— paul zangari (@zang100) January 27, 2018
A - The odds of that are slim to none. The cost for centers on the rental market is so steep that it might tempt the Leafs to move Bozak, but as I said earlier, the only option would be to move Patrick Marleau up the middle and Babcock clearly does not want to do that.
Moore is a stable veteran and the nine game tryout of Frederik Gauthier was proof that the 37-year-old is a better option on the fourth line than the inexperienced and inconsistent "Goat".
Flip Kadri for Jordan Staal and they will be. #nextlevel
— Corey Clarke (@RealCoreyClarke) January 27, 2018
A - Explain to me why Carolina would do that deal, unless it is to get out of a longer term contract paying $1.5 Million more per season than Kadri is making. The Leafs are satisfied with Kadri and have him signed for an economical $4.5 Million for another four more years, so the chances of him going anywhere are non-existent.
I heard Ray Ferraro say that Gudbranson is about the same as Polak. Would the Leafs even bother with an addition like that?
— Old Cousin Eddie #Babcult (@mydogSnots) January 27, 2018
A - I respect Ferraro's opinion, but the Leafs defense is light on size and toughness and Babcock would probably play both Polak and Gudbranson if they acquired him from the Canucks. The main factor is likely how much it would cost to acquire Gudbranson.
The rumored deal of Andrew Nielsen and a draft pick is probably in the neighborhood of what it would cost and I don't think that would scare Toronto away, but the 25-year-old blueliner is out of the Vancouver lineup due to back spasms currently.
Do you think a current healthy Leafs roster is good enough - considering their favorable remaining schedule - to challenge BOS or even TBL for first in the ATL? And would a Metro team first round match up be ideal?
— Ken (@Klas647) January 27, 2018
A - The Leafs are 10 points behind the Lightning and Tampa has two games in hand, they are five points in back of Boston and the Bruins have four games in hand. To answer your question, they don't have much of a chance to catch either.
Tampa is without Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat and Boston has Charlie McAvoy out and Brad Marchand suspended for five games, but they would have to lose other key players and go into big slumps to enable the Leafs to catch them.
Last year the Leafs acquired Brian Boyle at the deadline to bolster the lineup for playoffs. Do they focus their attention on a Defenseman this time around?
— Mike K (@KennyD8998) January 27, 2018
A - Yes....any reinforcements at forward are going to come internally. I cannot see the Leafs moving young assets to acquire anything other than blueline help.
Mike is there a deal out there where Bozak is moved to a team outside of playoffs that makes sense?
— 🏒ðŸ¹FletchðŸ¹🥅 (@hawkeyguy) January 27, 2018
A - Why would a team outside the playoffs trade for a rental, when they can simply wait until July 1 and sign him for nothing other than money?
Will JVR be moved and what do you think the Leafs could get? I’d rather flip another asset like Kadri to keep him
— Christopher (@mountlam) January 27, 2018
A - I don't think that van Riemsdyk will be moved, but assuming the hypothetical, the Leafs would get more for him than the Sabres are asking for Evander Kane (which is a first rounder, a young NHL player or good prospect) and a conditional pick based on whether he re-signs with the team he is traded to.
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