The Toronto Maple Leafs hope that a day away from practice and some new line combinations will help provide a spark in their final game before the NHL All-Star break, as they take on the struggling Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
The Caps are winless in six straight games (0-4-2), including a 7-6 loss to San Jose on Tuesday. Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick and leads the NHL with 36 goals, but Evander Kane tied the game for the Sharks with one second left in regulation and Tomas Hertl scored the overtime winner.
Washington did not hold a morning skate after arriving in Toronto early Wednesday morning, but it is expected that goalie Braden Holtby will start in the second of back-to-back games since the club will have eight days off after tonight’s contest.
The Leafs went through their paces at Scotiabank Arena after a day off on Tuesday and kept the line combinations that they practiced with on Monday, with Auston Matthews centering Mitch Marner and Patrick Marleau, John Tavares between Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen and Nazem Kadri lined up with Connor Brown and William Nylander.
Trevor Moore was recalled on an emergency basis to replace Andreas Johnsson (concussion) in the lineup on the fourth line with Par Lindholm and Frederik Gauthier, but the injured winger did participate in drills on Wednesday, as did Jake Gardiner, who missed Sunday’s loss to Arizona with back spasms. Gardiner will be a game time decision and will be replaced by Martin Marincin if he can’t go.
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One of the more curious things that Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said in his media availability on Tuesday was his reconsidering the possibility of dipping into the rental market prior to the NHL Trade deadline. Although reiterating his preference to deal for players that have term remaining, Dubas did not close the door on adding someone who would become unrestricted free agent next summer.
“It depends on what you’re willing to pay. That would certainly be our preference to have somebody that we know is going to be part of our group for beyond this season, but if there are players that are expiring at the end of this season that can help our group, we won’t necessarily shy away from that either.” Dubas said. “It’s just finding the right people and players to come into the locker room and help us.”
There are a number of impact rental forwards (Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, Jeff Skinner) that could possibly be in the trade market, but it is unlikely that Dubas will be willing to give up significant young assets to add to an already potent offense.
The top echelon of pending UFA blueliners (Erik Karlsson, Tyler Myers, Anton Stralman) will not be shopped before February 25 because their clubs are in or fighting for playoff spots, which limits the potential targets for Toronto to depth defensemen and bottom six forwards.
That is not to say that those additions could not help the Leafs down the stretch. With the absence of Tyler Ennis, the effectiveness of the fourth line has been virtually non-existent with Par Lindholm playing out of position on the wing and Frederik Gauthier not offering much more than a big body up the middle.
It is possible that Dubas will rely on promoting youngsters from the American Hockey League like Mason Marchment, Carl Grundstrom, Jeremy Bracco or Pierre Engvall to provide a spark on the fourth line late in the season (as Johnsson did late last season), but veteran rental options like Troy Brouwer, Brian Boyle, Carl Hagelin or Patrick Maroon could provide the club with something that they do not possess in exchange for a lesser prospect or a lesser draft pick.
On the blueline, the available options are not very impactful. Veterans Jay Bouwmeester and Niklas Kronwall are on their last legs and may be only suited for bottom pairing duty and former Bruin Adam McQuaid would provide toughness but has durability issues, which limits the additions that could quality depth to Nik Jensen(Detroit) and Cup winner Ben Lovejoy(NJ).
If Dubas does dip into the rental market, it will likely not be a big splash, but for a player or two who could help shore up a few holes in the Leafs lineup. Any addressing of their major needs will come in the form of a larger deal involving someone who is under contract for a few more seasons and will cost Toronto a major asset or two.
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