2 days Ago By Terry Koshan
Article content Auston Matthews , Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares. None of these players will be acquired by the Maple Leafs before the National Hockey League trade deadline on Friday afternoon. They’re already here, and have been as a four-pack since the 2018-19 season after Tavares signed a seven-year contract with the Leafs in free agency in the summer of ’18.
No player that Leafs general manager Brad Treliving gets in a trade prior to the deadline will impact Toronto’s playoff hopes and dreams more than these four. That’s unless Treliving somehow manages to pull off a trade with Carolina for Mikko Rantanen, but the Leafs would have to do more than just put Ryan Reaves on waivers, as Toronto did on Thursday, to make a Rantanen deal work financially. Treliving doesn’t overly like the idea of acquiring a rental, no matter who the player is, and there seems to be little chance he would give up a significant package, no matter who is included, if Rantanen wasn’t going to sign an extension.
All of the Rantanen speculation, whether it involves the Leafs, has gone off the rails as it is. Yes, defencemen Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe and Morgan Rielly, as well as goaltender Anthony Stolarz (he is going to be the starter, right?) will have a say in how the Leafs fare once the Stanley Cup tournament gets underway in the second half of April. Others, for example wingers Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann, are bound to step up at certain times and make a difference.
As for the Leafs’ best forwards, it seems every game now that one or two of them is passing a Toronto legend on the franchise lists for points, goals or assists. After the Leafs had a scheduled day off on Thursday following a listless 5-2 loss in Vegas against the Golden Knights, they will return to practice in Denver to prepare for Saturday night’s game versus the Avalanche. Marner will hit the ice fifth in franchise points, fourth in assists and 14th in goals.
Matthews is seventh in points, second in goals and 14th in assists. Nylander comes in at 10th in points, goals and assists. Tavares is 15th in goals and 16th in points.
We all know far both individual and team success in the regular season has taken the Leafs in the playoffs. Despite having played past the first round just once in their Leafs careers, both Marner and Matthews this spring should crack the top 10 in points on the franchise playoffs list. In 10th is Syl Apps, who had 53 post-season points.
Marner is 12th with 50 and Matthews is 14th with 48. Nylander is 17th with 43. That’s all nice too, but it’s about time we started to see some playoff winning with this group at the head, isn’t it? Really, it’s past time.
If there’s another first-round failure, there’s no way that the Leafs can re-sign both Marner and Tavares with Matthews and Nylander already under contract. Changes have been made in the GM’s chair and coach’s office in the past two years. Treliving and Craig Berube aren’t going anywhere.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. There’s Friday to get past first. The Leafs would love to get their hands on St.
Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, who has a great history with Berube and the 2019 Cup win. There has been ongoing Leafs interest in Scott Laughton of the Philadelphia Flyers and Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders as well. Of the three, only Nelson is headed for unrestricted agency this summer.
Sending Reaves to the Toronto Marlies if he clears would save the Leafs $1.15 million US. On the tiny chance he is claimed, the Leafs would recoup his full $1.
35 million salary. The Leafs, by the way, won’t miss Reaves on the ice. As the Leafs have been making a run at grabbing and holding onto top spot in the Atlantic Division, Reaves has been scratched in eight of the past 11 games.
If Treliving really wants to get something done, more money might have to come off the books, but that won’t easy either. Among forwards, Max Domi ($3.75 million cap hit) has a 13-team no-trade clause; David Kampf ($2.
4 million hit) and Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1 million) each has a 10-team no-trade list. Among those without trade protection are McMann, Knies and Nick Robertson.
We could see only Robertson, who has an $875,000 cap hit, potentially being dealt. The Leafs also want a depth defenceman, preferably one who shoots right, so it would make little sense for them to include one of the three blueliners who don’t have trade protection — Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins or Philippe Myers — in a trade. And let’s keep in mind that Treliving said last week in Pittsburgh that he didn’t think it was about taking “big swings” at the deadline.
In Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares who are the Leafs’ big hitters. It’s time for them to connect. They’re the ones who will determine any success the Leafs have once the Stanley Cup playoff fun begins.
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