Toronto Maple Leafs new general manager Brad Treliving speaks to the media during the opening day of NHL training camp in Toronto on Sept. 20, 2023.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Tick tock. Tick tock.
The clock is winding down to the NHL’s 3 p.m. trade deadline on Friday.
With it, the rumour mill is spitting out some doozies.
Just about everything has been floated from P.K. Subban trading in his microphone for a pair of skates again to Carlton the Bear and three future draft picks being swapped for Gritty in a major mascot exchange.
After all, the Maple Leafs are always in search of grit.
Toronto is more desperate than usual as it goes to the wire in need of a quality right-handed defenceman. Its cupboard is so bare that Justin Holl has never looked so good.
Because of injuries and illness within the defensive corps, Mitch Marner has even been trotted out to play on the blue line.
There are some good players available – but the best of them carry a lot of risk. Everyone loves Calgary’s Noah Hanifin but he is left-handed and an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. If you are the Maple Leafs, do you wheel and deal, shuffle things around, and then watch him peel in the summer?
I have little doubt that there have been discussions between the organizations – Brad Treliving has those ties to the Flames – but I am not certain Toronto’s general manager should give up a 2024 first-round draft pick under the circumstances.
The club showed interest in the off-season in Arizona’s hard-nosed Matt Dumba. He shoots from the right side – but will also become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this campaign.
So, too, will Nashville’s Alexandre Carrier. He is a righty, just 27 years old and in 2022 was chosen to the NHL’s all-rookie team. The catch here is that he may have to be pried away from the Predators, who have won eight straight and find themselves in the thick of the wild-card race in the Western Conference.
So who else is out there?
The Senators’ Jakob Chychrun is a top candidate and will likely end up with a team in contention for the Stanley Cup. He is left-handed but is unbothered by playing on the opposite side, is just 25 years old, and in the midst of a good season. He entered Tuesday with 31 points in 59 games and has a year left on a contract that pays him US$4.6-million a season. He has a no-trade clause but would likely be amenable to a deal that sends him to a better place.
Montreal’s David Savard is right-handed and a pure defensive defenceman and has one year left on his contract. He is 33 but is “only” making US$3.5-million a year so he is an option for a team constrained by the salary cap.
If I was Toronto I would be keenly interested in Adam Larsson of Seattle. He is 31, right-handed, has one year left on his contract at US$4-million and has played in all 225 Kraken games. His offensive potential is limited but he is plus-40 over the past two seasons and might be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
The Maple Leafs added Ilya Lyubushkin to the mix last week in exchange for a pair of draft picks. He picked up an assist in Monday’s loss to the Bruins and is a responsible defenceman but not one that will tilt the ice much in his club’s direction.
There have been utterances about the possible return to Toronto of Zach Bogosian but he is similar to Lyubushkin – an upgrade but mostly a depth guy. If you are looking for someone to make a big difference it probably isn’t him.
Treliving has some options that would create room to take on more salaries. One option is to put the 40-year-old Mark Giordano on the long-term injured list. Others include waiving veteran goalie Martin Jones and Conor Timmins. The latter is a right-handed defenceman but he has been sidelined by injuries and illness.
There has been talk that the Maple Leafs would part ways with Timothy Liljegren, but if you need a right-handed defenceman why trade one of your own unless it is for a major upgrade?
On Tuesday, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Treliving has kept him in the loop.
“I meet with Brad daily and we chat and go through different things,” he said. “He has done a good job of keeping me informed all season but at the same time allows me to focus on the task at hand.
“I have enough on my plate.”
If the team is to make a big swing on deadline day it will have to be daring and creative.
I know some fans will hate this, but perhaps it is time for the Maple Leafs to put Nick Robertson on the trading block. He is only 22 and a talented forward but has had a few kicks at the can without a great deal of success. Perhaps a change of scenery would help him, and, as part of a package, bring a defensive player with impact to Toronto.
Time is winding down and the team will not improve by standing pat. Tick tock. Tick tock.