The Toronto Maple Leafs are near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and with about a day remaining until the trade deadline, they're going to have to make a move sooner rather than later. It's obvious they're on the outside looking in, and they've made the decision to try to get future assets for some of the players on their team.
Scott Laughton, Bobby McMann and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were healthy scratches before their game against the New Jersey Devils, and it caught many off guard. At the same time, it signaled that they were ready to make some deals. Nothing has happened as of yet, but there is a sense around the league that teams aren't willing to give up too much for what they're offering, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
“I don’t think he has teams,” a league source about Brad Treliving. “Other teams smell blood in the water there and won’t give in on return.”
There's no doubt that the Maple Leafs have what teams need if they want to make a deal, but there are only a few that could possibly get them a first-round pick in return.
“They’ve got a little bit of everything to offer up to rival teams, from useful forwards on cheap, expiring contracts (McMann, Laughton) to a right-shot, bottom-six center (Nicolas Roy) to a versatile 20-minute-per-night defenseman (Ekman-Larsson) to a goaltender (Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll) and a slew of depth options that won’t come with any sticker shock when it comes to acquisition cost (Simon Benoit, Calle Järnkrok, Steven Lorentz and others),” Johnston wrote.
As of now, it's not certain if teams really want to come out and play with the Maple Leafs, and if not, they might have to wait for the offseason to make moves.
