Toronto Maple Leafs Get Busy
The Toronto Maple Leafs are making things happen! This article could be dedicated to a Kyle Dubas trade tracker but I won’t go that far. After acquring both Ryan O’Reilly and Jake McCabe, there is no doubt Toronto is completely in 2023 win-now mode. It is a shock that the Leafs are getting even more busy less than 72 hours before the NHL trade deadline.
You’ll see each tweet listed below. I’ll go into more detail for each and my own point of view on Toronto’s rationale behind it.
Rasmus Sandin To Washington
This was a deal that took me for a loop. Sandin has gone from one of Toronto’s top prospects to a solid bottom-pairing defenseman. If he progresses, the Caps may have already found their replacement for the recently-traded Dmitry Orlov. As well, Toronto squeezed out a replacement in Erik Gustafsson as well as an extra first-round pick. Incredibly valuable to use as either more trade ammo or insurance for the future. JFresh has more on what has made him a very strong cost-controlled asset in recent seasons:
In all honesty, I think this deal makes a lot of sense for both sides. The Leafs get to shave extra money off their cap sheet with Gustafsson on a league minimum deal. The Caps continue to have assets as their retool continue.
Luke Schenn Acquired
Dubas also added another reinforcement in defense. Luke Schenn, one of the more sought-after defensemen in the trade market, is also heading to the Six. The cost was a third round pick in this year’s draft.
While he is not a great defenseman by any means, he is both physical and right-handed. Those two characteristics do not grow on trees. Furthermore, he is on a cheap deal and at the very least provides depth in the defensive end for Jake Muzzin, who is ruled out for the year. Another added bonus is bringing Schenn in will keep him from ending up somewhere like Boston or Tampa Bay. JFresh has more on his profile:
If TJ Brodie or Gustaffson can mesh with him then the Leafs blue line is potentially transformed. Along with those three, you also have Morgan Rielly, Justin Holl, and the aforementioned McCabe.
Pierre Engvall To New York Islanders
This is the last of the deals (for now). A player of Engvall’s profile fits in exactly with the ethos of the New York Islanders. With Mathew Barzal potentially out for the remainder of the season, forward depth became an issue. Lou Lamoriello rectified that with a pretty good bottom-six winger. It appears for now that Simon Holmstrom is gonna continue to have an elevated role. Check out JFresh’s analysis of Engvall below:
Toronto is once again able to mend their cap situation. Dubas also picked up another asset in a future third-round pick. For the Islanders, having Engvall in the fold could be very helpful. He appears to slot in well at 26 considering the likes of Zach Parise, Matt Martin, and Cal Clutterbuck are getting very up there in age. His versatility and defensive solidity come at a very important time for the Islanders’ playoff race. Believe me when I say I will have an article going into more depth on Engvall later today.
Someone should tell these GMs that the deadline is on Friday. They are making a ton of moves with Kyle Dubas at the top of the list. With even more deals potentially on the horizon, y’all should take a seat and grab some popcorn.
