Kyle Dubas and the Maple Leafs Skillfully Dodge a Bullet at the Trade Deadline

With the Toronto Maple Leafs officially getting over the 1st round hump, it's certainly looking like GM Kyle Dubas made the right moves at the trade deadline. Dubas picked up names like Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, and Erik Gustafsson to round out his lineup. However, a move he didn't make that he was linked to extensively before the deadline may be his best decision.

The Maple Leafs were heavily linked to then San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier. Meier was the biggest name up for grabs at the time, with the New Jersey Devils swooping in and picking him up in exchange for four players and three draft picks (Fabian Zetterlund, Andreas Johnsson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Nikita Okhotiuk, a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a second- and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft). It was a high price to pay, and Dubas dodged a big bullet by letting it pass him by.

Meier had a fantastic regular season in 2022-23. However, he has all but become invisible in the playoffs, failing to hit the scoresheet in all six games so far. In the Devils last game, a loss to the New York Rangers in game 6 of their series to force the seventh and deciding match, Meier took six shots on net in 20:15 of ice time, finishing at minus-2. On the flip side, Dubas's moves have worked out very well in all aspects of the game, helping the rest go through the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. Sounds like Dubas made the right choice.