NHL Insider Frank Seravalli has disappointing news to Maple Leafs fans Concerning an imminent major trade

Published November 7, 2023 at 5:45 PM
BY GRAHAM MONTGOMERY

Brad Treliving's introduction to Toronto has not gone as planned. Luckily for him, his team was able to come up with a major victory in their last game after falling behind. Another loss could have sent the team spiraling towards the bottom of the standings.

Toronto Maple Leafs Pull Off Season-Saving Comeback

The Maple Leafs have had to tread through some stormy waters to start the season. Their last game seemed to be the final straw as they fell behind the Lightning and Ilya Samsonov was pulled after giving up 4 goals on just 12 shots. Luckily, they were able to stage a miraculous comeback, salvaging their start to the season. The team now boasts a modest 6-4-2 record, good for 4th in the Atlantic.

While a win in this game wasn't necessarily mandatory, a fifth loss in a row likely would have had a few people in the Leafs organization getting nervous. The team has not shown a lot of chemistry and the new guys don't seem to be fitting in as well as many hoped they would. That being said, it may be some time before the team makes another big move.

NHL Insider Serravalli Gives Major Trade News For Maple Leafs

NHL insider Frank Serravalli reported today that the Leafs are unlikely to make a major trade in the near future. One has to imagine if the Leafs would have genuinely considered a trade had the team lost their last game.

"I don't think it's too early [to make a deal]. I think there's a select few teams that are sort of in the mood to mix things up. Obviously, the Calgary Flames and their defense corps... Tanev, Zadorov in addition to the obvious one in Hanifin. I think you've got some other teams that are reaching some desperation status, but I'm not entirely sold that the Leafs are there quite yet in terms of getting to the point that they want to mix things up.

These results that we've seen, to this point, are probably about as middling as they could be. I'd imagine, at some point, your forward group is going to click better than it has. You're going to get more consistency out of Marner and Matthews. You're going to see more from Bertuzzi at some point - how many stretches like this of 10 games in his career has the production been where it's been [in Toronto]? Probably not many.

I'd imagine there's probably a bit of a patient approach [in Toronto] in that you also don't want to try to wedge a square peg into a round hole."

Serravalli also gave fans an update on the status of head coach Sheldon Keefe. As the team has struggled to find their groove early in the season, some fans began to speculate that his job could be in jeopardy. It seems as though that is not the case at this moment, but Keefe probably won't be resting easy until his team can string together a couple of convincing wins in a row.

Maple Leafs Need More From Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi

One thing that would go a long way to easing everyone's minds in Toronto would be for Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to go on a run. So far the two wingers have combined for just 6 assists and 2 goals through 12 games. Bertuzzi in particular has been the subject of much criticism as he has just three points and has looked completely disinterested for large stretches in the early season.

Perhaps no one would be happier to see these two players go on a hot streak than general manager Brad Treliving. His decision to bring in these two players specifically, along with Ryan Reaves, has drawn a lot of criticism based on the way they have played. Leafs fans were sold on the idea that they would bring toughness and grit as well as scoring depth and so far they haven't really brought any of that.

As seen on If you're hoping for a big trade from the Leafs, one NHL Insider has some bad news for you

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POLL
November 7 \| 1167 answers NHL Insider Frank Seravalli has disappointing news to Maple Leafs fans Concerning an imminent major trade Do you think the Leafs should make a trade?
Yes, Bertuzzi	455	39 %
Yes, Domi	149	12.8 %
Yes, someone else	388	33.2 %
No	175	15 %
LIST OF POLL