Jay On Leafs: Berube Blinks: OEL, Laughton, and McMann Scratched for Trade Protection

It’s Deadline Week in Toronto, and if there’s one thing we know for sure about this front office, it’s that things can change in a heartbeat.

Just hours after head coach Craig Berube flat-out denied that the Maple Leafs would hold anyone out of the lineup for roster management purposes against the New Jersey Devils, telling the media an emphatic, “Not tonight”, management has officially pulled the plug.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann are all healthy scratches tonight. The reason? Pure asset protection. Brad Treliving is officially open for business, and with the Leafs sitting at a dismal 27-24-10 and nine points out of the wild-card race, it's the only logical move.

Here is a breakdown of why these three are sitting in the press box and what it means for the next 48 hours.

The Asset Protection Plan

• Oliver Ekman-Larsson: OEL has been one of the names floated at the very top of the trade boards this week. He's been playing elevated minutes, and contenders are heavily scouting him to add a veteran defenseman with a Stanley Cup pedigree to their blue line. At a $3.5 million AAV with term, he's Toronto's most valuable trade chip on the back end right now. Risking an injury tonight would have been catastrophic for his market value.

• Scott Laughton: We all knew this was coming. Laughton is a pending UFA on a cheap deal, and the phones have been ringing off the hook for him. He's the exact type of gritty, middle-six forward that Stanley Cup contenders aggressively overpay for at the deadline. Taking him out of the fire against New Jersey ensures Treliving can maximize the return, likely a high pick and a solid prospect.

• Bobby McMann: McMann has been a great developmental story and a hard worker, but the reality is he’s a pending UFA who is due for a raise that Toronto simply shouldn't pay right now. Sitting him is a no-brainer. Teams looking for secondary scoring have been circling, and securing a premium draft pick for him is paramount to this on-the-fly retool.

The Reality Check

Berube’s quote this morning wasn’t necessarily a smokescreen; it was the reality of a coach who wants to ice a competitive roster right up until the General Manager taps him on the shoulder and says, “No.” When Auston Matthews called the team's recent stretch "embarrassing" after the weekend loss to Ottawa, the writing was permanently on the wall. The team has dropped four in a row and 10 of their last 13. Risking your best remaining trade chips in a meaningless game in March when you are heavily operating as a seller would have been front-office malpractice.

Treliving is clearly deep in negotiations, and by pulling Ekman-Larsson, Laughton, and McMann from the lineup simultaneously, it signals that the dominos are about to fall.

Buckle up. The next two days are going to be a wild ride.

Source: Scott Laughton @ Elite Prospects

Source: Oliver Ekman Larsson @ Elite Prospects

Source: Bobby McMann @ Elite Prospects