The Toronto Maple Leafs recent improved performance could be an unexpected impediment in the plan to finish near the bottom of the NHL standings and increasing the chances of selecting a top prospect like Auston Matthews, Jesse Puljujarvi, Patrik Laine or Matthew Tkachuk at the top of the 2016 NHL Draft.
The 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday ended the Leafs three-game winning streak and is only the third defeat in the last 10 games.
The recent success has drawn Toronto to within five points of the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and to within two points of moving out of the bottom 10 of the league, but there is no indication that Team President Brendan Shanahan or GM Lou Lamoriello will deviate from the blueprint laid out for the club last summer, even if they are in the playoff race close to the February 29th trade deadline.
One happy byproduct of the Leafs improvement is that players added to the organization last summer, as well as holdovers from the Randy Carlyle/Peter Horachek era have raised their stock in the eyes of other NHL clubs after being coached up by Mike Babcock.
It is now to the point that Toronto may be able to attract a higher than expected return for pending free agents like PA Parenteau, Roman Polak, Michael Grabner, Brad Boyes and James Reimer and find interest in Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri, who have term left on their contracts or can be retained via arbitration.
With the recent trade for Vincent Lecavalier and pending UFA Luke Schenn to Los Angeles, it is possible that the rental market (which normally picks up the week preceding the deadline) may begin percolating much earlier with teams looking to gain an advantage earlier than normal because of the tightly compacted NHL standings.
Parenteau (third on the club with 11 goals) will likely be a sought after commodity not only for his value as a complementary player and on special teams, but also because of his cap friendly $1.5 Million cap hit.
Polak is the Leafs leader in plus/minus, has a reasonable salary at $2.75 Million, is a right-hand shot and has been noticeably more aggressive in recent games, factors that raise the eyebrows of playoff-bound teams looking for defensive help.
Boyes could also draw interest for clubs looking for inexpensive veteran depth up front, while Grabner seemed immovable with a $3 Million salary but could attract interest with his scoring picking up after being placed with Kadri and Komarov.
Reimer leads the NHL with a .937 save percentage after a 39-save performance in his first start in over a month on Thursday and may have teams calling if he can stay healthy after missing most of December with groin problems.
Bozak and Komarov both have two years left on contracts, but have proven doubters wrong with unexpectedly productive seasons, while Kadri and Gardiner have slowly improved under Babcock’s tutelage and begun to score with regularity.
With the Leafs playing their best hockey of the year and most of those mentioned at their highest value, it might be the time for Lamoriello to sell high.
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There are indications that the Maple Leafs may have interest in disgruntled Tampa Bay winger Jonathan Drouin, who requested a trade through agent Allan Walsh last November that was made public last week.
The 20-year-old will play for the AHL Syracuse Crunch in Albany on Friday and will be scouted by seven NHL teams according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
The Lightning are looking to acquire a young defenseman in exchange for the 2013 3rd overall pick. Sportsnet’s Damien Cox suggests that a Drouin for Jake Gardiner deal would be something that could help both clubs.
HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman indicated on Friday’s Dean Blundell morning show that the Leafs have interest in a skilled young forward like Drouin, but may not have what Tampa is looking for.
Gardiner, 25, has another three years remaining at $4.05 Million per season, but GM Steve Yzerman is looking for a right-handed shooting defenseman (Gardiner shoots left but has played RD). Polak is right-handed, but Toronto would likely have to include a young forward like Nazem Kadri to make a deal possible.
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