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The Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 overtime loss to Colorado on Saturday gave some in their fanbase a PTSD flashback to the 2013 Game 7 loss to Boston, as the Leafs held a 4-1 second period lead, but anyone watching the game had to see that there were few instances where Toronto was in complete control of the game against a powerhouse Avs club that have now won 11 straight games at home.
Auston Matthews scored twice, Alex Kerfoot had three points (1 goal, 2 assists), Nick Ritchie scored his second of the season after clearing waivers on Friday and Jack Campbell was outstanding in a 44-save performance, but the Leafs relied heavily on their top two lines and defensive pairings and fatigue may have factored into Colorado’s 19-shot third-period siege.
“There aren’t many teams in the league that could keep (Colorado) below four (goals) these days. I think it’s tough to do that, especially with a short bench today and missing three very important forwards (in Mitch Marner, Pierre Engvall and Ondrej Kase). Three guys that will be vital for us in protecting a lead like that and allowing us to use more of our bench.… Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “(Campbell) was unbelievable with some of the saves he made. I thought our guys did what we asked of them today, would we liked to get two points? Absolutely. Should we have had two points? Absolutely, but that’s a very good team and to come out here on the road and get a point is huge for our group.…
The Leafs continue their six-game road trip in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The club gave Matthews (maintenance) and Campbell (30th birthday) the day off at practice on Sunday, and Keefe will know more about Marner and Engvall’s availability for games this week on Monday.
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Toronto has limitations of who they can pursue before the NHL trade deadline because of the salary cap, but it is possible that GM Kyle Dubas can create space to make a deadline upgrade. The Leafs did that last season by trading for Nick Foligno through San Jose, which allowed Columbus to retain 50% of his $5.5 million cap hit and the Sharks to retain another 25%.
Moves such as demoting winger Nick Ritchie to the minors and freeing up $1.125 million of his $2.5 million cap hit or dealing off Travis Dermott’s $1.5 million contract can be made, but only will be if the Leafs see an impact player available that can make a difference.
Toronto will also be looking for bargains and might be willing to take a chance on a player with questionable reputations, such as last season’s deal for Alex Galchenyuk. This season’s high-risk, high-reward candidate might be Evander Kane, whose contract was terminated by the Sharks over the weekend. It is quite possible that a number of teams will be lined up to sign the talented winger and roll the dice that his off-the-ice issues won’t come back to bite them and Toronto was among a group of clubs who has scouts at a San Jose Barracudas game last month checking out the 30-year-old forward.
A couple things that might lend themselves to the possibility of Toronto having an interest in Kane. The Leafs weakness up front is on the left side, with Michael Bunting and Ilya Mikheyev currently occupying top-six roles. Kane could be an excellent fit playing with either Matthews or John Tavares, and it would benefit his case for a new deal next summer by putting up points in the second half.
Kane is represented by agent Daniel Milstein, who has frequently done business with Toronto over the years with Russian free agents and represents Mikheyev and 2020 first rounder Rodion Amirov, and has partnered with Leaf winger Wayne Simmonds and former NHLer Akim Aliu in the forming of the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA). There will undoubtedly be a number of teams interested in Kane and Toronto’s interest could be conditional on whether he will be willing to accept a league-minimum deal for the rest of this season.
The off-the-ice issues that Kane has encountered over the years may be impossible to ignore and could affect what interest he attracts around the league, but it is possible that Toronto will be willing to take a chance.
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Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
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