How much selling could the Toronto Maple Leafs be looking at?
Sportsnet: James Mirtle on the JD Bunkis Podcast on the Toronto Maple Leafs and why they should they be sellers at the trade deadline, but the level of selling may depend on how they do in the six games before the trade deadline.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bunkis: “I think, from my standpoint, we have a good enough sample that they are not a contender. And that the idea that they could make the postseason is not impossible to me.
But the idea that a group that has as many flaws as they do, whether it’s their blue line and their inability to break the puck out. Whether it’s been the up and down injuries. Whether it’s been, I would say some inconsistent forward play from a lot of their different pieces. Whether it’s been, honestly, even like some of their goaltending, hasn’t been as sharp as it was a year ago.
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That banking on this group to make some kind of a deep run, or holding back at a trade deadline, instead of making sure that you can get back as much as possible, barring, you know, really impacting your long term future or your ability to compete next year, I think would be a mistake.
So the first question is just kind of simply that, which is, you know, Elliotte Friedman has reported that that winning streak did not change things. Are you hearing the same thing that Toronto is still looking to be a seller at the deadline, regardless of the outcome of the games that they play in ahead of it?”
Mirtle: “I’m still, I’m a little bit, I think if they keep winning games, it’s going to change the degree to which they’re willing to sell. If that makes sense.”
Bunkis: “Of course.”
Mirtle: “I think you’re right. I think, I think your read is right. Like Bobby McMann, no brainer, move off of him.
But if they come out of this break, there’s actually six games until the trade deadline. So there’s some time here. It’s, it’s, I got it right in front of me. It’s Tampa, Florida on the road. Ottawa at home, and then you and then they’ve got Philly, who’s been really struggling, New Jersey, and the Rangers.”
Bunkis: “Really tough, like a tough slate, in terms of, if you want to sell, that’s not the teams that you want to see outside of Tampa.”
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Mirtle: “Yeah. I mean, I think they could win, they can easily win…”
Bunkis: “Four.”
Mirtle: “4-1-1”
Bunkis: “Yeah.”
Mirtle: “They could go 4-1-1 in those six games, and you’re going to be squinting at it like, well, now we’re only three points out. Or, as you said, Boston’s vulnerable. But there’s just such a big pack of teams that you got to compete with.
The Leafs chances of making the playoffs right now are like 20, 21% depending on what model you look at. So I think what you’re saying is right where, it’s 20% chance to get in, but then what are your chances once you are in? You’re probably going to get Tampa who you’ve beaten in the past, but at best that’s a 50-50, series, and it’s only going to get harder after that.
So I just, you’d be betting on a no hope plan if you don’t do some kind of a retool, recalibration here.
And what I would try and do at the deadline is move off some pieces that you don’t feel like are going to be part of the solution next year. Is there a world where you can trade a Simon Benoit or an Anthony Stolarz, Dakota Joshua? Probably not, but at the deadline, that’s what you want to be looking at, right?
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You go to the desperate GM that needs a goalie or the or that needs, wants a physical winger that misses out on the other pieces that are available, and you say, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ And maybe you can open up even more cap space. Maybe you can get back a third or a fourth round pick, and you’ve got even more flexibility next year.”
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