The fourth consecutive loss for the Maple Leafs has increased the rumors that GM Dave Nonis will look to shake up his underachieving roster before even considering any thought of ousting head coach Randy Carlyle.
Toronto put forth a much better effort in a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday night, but fell victim to a bit of misfortune after Phil Kessel scored the go-ahead goal early in the third. The Caps Nicklas Backstrom tied the game moments later after his shot deflected off of Leafs forward Jay McClement past Jonathan Bernier and allowed Joel Ward’s game winning goal after killing off their fourth minor penalty of the game.
The recent losing skid may be the final straw for Leafs management that a shakeup of more consequence than swapping depth defensemen such as John-Michael Liles for Tim Gleason is needed to change the downward direction of the club, who has gone 11-16-5 since starting the season with an impressive 10-4-0 record in October.
TSN’s Darren Dreger has indicated that Nonis is open to all possibilities, including a tinkering deal or a larger scale trade for a top-line center, a big time winger or a top defenseman, but the Leafs cap situation would limit their ability to take on a high salaried player. The names of Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri continue to be mentioned as the most likely centerpiece of a potential deal, but that the Leafs asking price for either would be an NHL player of comparable age and talent.
Cap Geek indicates that Toronto has less than $1 Million of room under the $64.3 Million salary cap, which would rule out some rumored deals.
Edmonton’s Sam Gagner has been rumored to be available and garnered interest from Toronto, but the 24-year-old center signed a three-year, $14.4 Million deal last summer and really does not offer enough of a upgrade over Kadri to justify taking on a significantly higher salary.
If Nonis is looking to add a player that will add or augment the character, talent and work ethic of the core of his club, it will be much easier to do in the off-season, when salary cap restrictions will not be a concern. Winnipeg forward Andrew Ladd is someone that would fit the bill, but rumors of the Jets shopping the 28-year-old two-time Stanley Cup winner are puzzling.
Ryan O’Reilly has also been mentioned in connection with Toronto as far back as last January, when the 22-year-old forward was in the middle of his holdout. The stalemate with the Avalanche ended in late February when the Calgary Flames signed him to a two-year, $10 Million offer sheet which was matched by Colorado, but that simply delayed a decision over the forward’s future with the club.
O’Reilly is eligible to sign a long term contract extension this summer and is looking to make at least as much as teammate Matt Duchene($6 Million per season), but it is unclear whether Colorado management is willing to spend that kind of money when they have Duchene, rookie Nathan McKinnon and veteran Paul Stastny(who is a UFA this summer) up the middle. The Avalanche are in need of help on defense, which could make a deal involving Gardiner enticing, but Colorado cannot trade the forward until just before the March 5th trade deadline, after the one year anniversary of the offer sheet signing occurs.
Would Ladd or O’Reilly be additions that would help the Leafs be more consistent???
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