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Would move for McQuaid be a mistake?? Leafs vs. Blues

February 19, 2019, 1:59 PM ET [888 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs face a difficult challenge in the final contest of their six-game road swing, as they take on the red-hot Blues at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Tuesday. The Blues have salvaged their season with a strong second half under interim head coach Craig Berube (including their current 10-game winning streak) after wallowing at the bottom of the NHL standings at the halfway mark and are currently third in the Central Division with 67 points.

Richmond Hill native Jordan Binnington, sporting a sparkling 12-1-1 record, 1.58 GAA and .937 save percentage will make the start for St. Louis, and Frederik Andersen (27-12-2, 2.56 GAA, .923 GAA) will make his fourth straight start for Toronto and will hope to get more support from his teammates, who managed only 21 shots in a dismal 2-0 loss to Arizona on Saturday.

Winger Andreas Johnsson, who missed Saturday’s loss with a leg injury, skated on a third line with Nazem Kadri and William Nylander at practice on Monday and is expected to make his return. If Johnsson does play, Connor Brown will be shifted down to the fourth line alongside Par Lindholm and Frederik Gauthier and Tyler Ennis will sit.

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Trade rumors involving the Maple Leafs continue to percolate as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches. The focal point of chatter with six days remaining is veteran defenseman Adam McQuaid, formerly of the Boston Bruins and currently with the New York Rangers.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Monday that both Toronto and the Tampa Bay Lightning have made inquiries about the nine-year NHL veteran.

McQuaid was dealt to New York just before training camp due to an influx of young blueliners in Boston. The 32-year-old right hander played less than half on 2017-18 in Beantown because of an assortment of injuries and that trend has continued on Broadway, where he has played just 34 of their 58 games this season, but he does fit the profile of the “heavy” player that head coach Mike Babcock may be looking to add on the blueline.

The cost would likely be a mid-round pick (the Rangers gave up a fourth and conditional seventh, along defenseman Steven Kampfer), but there has to be some concern about acquiring the big righty. McQuaid would be a suitable depth defenseman option (especially with a Bruins-Leafs series appearing more likely), but with Babcock’s penchant for favoring veterans and liking left-right combos on the blueline, the question might be who would the bruising defenseman take the spot of in the existing top six of Morgan Rielly, Ron Hainsey, Jake Muzzin, Nikita Zaitsev, Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott.

Going with 11 forwards and seven defenseman is an unlikely option and based on performance, it should be Zaitsev because of his continuing struggles at both ends of the ice, but that is unlikely because he is the only righty in the top six and benching him might affect the ability of Dubas to deal him in the off-season.

It is possible in a playoff scenario that Babcock, given the choice would opt for the experience and “heaviness” of McQuaid over the youthful Dermott, and that would be a mistake.

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