Picks and Prospects what do the Leafs do come trade deadline

[finnmccool]

Being a leaf’s fan, it’s not always easy and I see alot of frustration with the way this team is playing. Especially when it comes to defense, or to be more precise team defense. We want something done, trade for a top 4 defensemen, price be damed. A perfectly reasonable idea, but before we go down that well trodden road let me stop and ask this question. WILL TRADING FOR A TOP 4 DEFENSEMAN MAKE THE LEAFS A STANLEY CUP CONTENDER. If the answer is no, if even adding a good quality defenseman such as Chris Tanev still does not make you a Stanley Cup contender then why make the trade. Then there’s the price to be paid, who do the leafs give up.

Before you answer lets quickly reveiw the Leafs trading of picks and prospects from 2017 to now.

2017 - Brian Boyle traded from Tampa to the leafs for a 2nd round pick

2018 - Tomas Plekanec traded from Montreal to the leafs for a 2nd round pick

2019 - Jake Muzzin traded from Los Angles to the leafs for a 1st round pick
encluded in the trade were Carl Grundstrom and Sean Ourzi

2020 - Patrick Marlow traded to Carolina for cap relief - 1st round pick

2020 - Jack Campbell traded from Los Angles to the leafs for ( two ) 3nd picks
encluded in the trade was Trevor Moore

2021 - Nick Foligno traded from Columbus to the leafs for a 1st round pick

2021 - Ben Hutten traded from Anaheim to the leafs for a 5th round pick

2021 - David Rittich traded from Calary to the leafs for a 3rd round pick

2022 - Mark Giordano traded from Seattle to. the leafs for a 2nd and 3rd round pick

2022 - Llya Lyubushkin traded from Arizona to the leafs for a 2nd round pick in. 2025

2022 - Petr Mrazek trade to Chicago along with the leafs 1st round pick in exchange for Chicago 2nd round pick. The leafs selected Fraser Mintenn with this pick.

2023 - Jake McCabe traded from Chicargo to the leafs for a 1st round pick 

2023 Ryan O’Reilly traded from St Louis to the leafs for a 1st round pick 

2023 Luke Schenn traded from Vancouver for a 3rd round pick

By my count since 2017 the leaf have trade away 6 first round picks, 4 second round picks, 4 3rd round picks a 5th round and a 7 round. One has to wonder when will this madness stop. Trading the leafs future for passed their prime veterans has shown itself to be a complete and utter failure and will continue to be an utter failure should they choose to go that route again.

[kazzie]

To simply answer, probably not.  Sadly this team has too many flaws to be a Cup contender by adding one or two players.  If we believe it will make us a contender then we are probably dreaming.  😭

[hobie]

One thing that does happen when the Leafs trade picks for NHL players, the traded for players actually play/played in the NHL.

[finnmccool]

Let not forget Chris Tanev is a free agent after this year I wouldn’t mind signing him then,  but a the same time buyer be ware he’ll be 34 years old and has a lot of miles on him.

[finnmccool]

Dec 23, 2023 16:54:33 GMT -5 hobie said:

One thing that does happen when the Leafs trade picks for NHL players, the traded for players actually play/played in the NHL.

True they do play in the NHL, unfortunately Nick Fligno and Ryan O’Rielly were no where close to being the players they once were. I realize there is a bit of cynicism directed towards the leafs scouting staff but it as been much better in the last 4 years dispite being handcuffed by these trades. One has to look no further than Matthew Knies to see the long term benefits of keeping your draft picks.

[stugats1]

No need to trade more picks for has been. Never works out

[hobie]

O'Rielly, washed up, like pretty well all of TO's TDL acquisitions he appeared to be washed up, he's in Nashville now and he has 26 pts. in 33 games, a 60 pt. pace. All of the TDL pick ups seemed useless/washed up with the Leafs, the question is why? In the AM/MM era TO has only drafted 4 decent players outside of AM & MM, Sandin, Lilly, Knies(hopefully) and Durzi. Finn's list is 14 players long and for the 2015 and 2016 drafts TO has MM and AM, nothing else. Of the 4 successful choices, none appear to be able to move any needle, back up good players, yes but little else.

I always felt Dubie didn't go far enough, I want a Cup before I expire, the future will take care of itself, the present leaves me wanting every year. So far Knies looks good but he still has a way to go before he's even Bunting good, those years eat into AM's & MM's peak years and without upgrades to the roster now the team I see isn't Cup contender worthy.

I'm certain Chicago fans aren't happy being into a long rebuild but at least they have a Cup in the last 50 years, TO doesn't. 

So will not trading for a top 4 d-man make TO any closer to Cup contention, I don't think so and waiting for Niemela to maybe become NHL ready won't move TO any closer to contention.

If a team can win a Cup with Hainsey as their 2nd best d-man during the playoffs then anything is possible and I prefer TO turn over every rock looking for a Cup answer.

I don't think TO needs more better d-men, I think TO does and has needed depth scoring for the playoffs. TO had a decent d last year but as per usual scoring in the playoffs was the issue. Domi & Bert aren't showing anything useful, Gregor looks more vital than either.

Last year O'Rielly needed better linemates, shifting the quality wingers so he had someone to play with might've been a better utilization of his talents, Keefe seemed to want him to be a line all by himself. 



 

[finnmccool]

Hobie I think it’s safe to assume the majority of people wanted Kyle Dubas to do more than he did. Unfortunately, he screwed himself by handing out abserdly large contracts to the core 4 which in turn left him unable to sign free agents, namely Zack Hyman, and wow look him now on pace for 50 goals. Dubas was then forced to create some cap space so he traded two decent to third line wingers. Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen who did provide some of the much discussed scoring depth that has been missing in the leafs most recent playoff matches. Then there is the Nazem Kadri trade. You can say what you want about whether or not he should have been traded. The bottem line is the leafs did not get equal return in that trade, and an argument can be made that if the leafs kept Kadri they wouldnt have needed to trade for Ryan O’rielly