Brad Treliving under pressure as Maple Leafs reassess trade deadline plans
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving may have to adjust what he's looking for this trade deadline as Chris Tanev's injury may end up costing him the season.
A lot of discussion has surrounded what type of players the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to target in order to improve their team this year. A top-six forward to help Auston Matthews as well as a puck-moving defenseman would be two great additions, though won't come cheap.
However Brad Treliving may also need to reassess things going forward as his team continues to struggle through injuries. While Anthony Stolarz has finally started skating, he's a ways away and the team may also be in line for another goalie.
Toronto may be without Chris Tanev for a long time
But there's also one facet he might seriously need to focus on considering a new report coming from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
On Monday, Friedman was a guest on The FAN Hockey Show and revealed that the injury to Chris Tanev is not just a minor one, and the genuine fear around the Maple Leafs organization is that Tanev is out long-term -- potentially the rest of the year:
Friedman did note that personally he doesn't think the veteran is going to miss the entire season, but if we are looking at a long-term absence, then Brad Treliving may need to add another shutdown defender in his absence.
Brad Treliving needs to think long and hard about his first big move
If the Maple Leafs do lose Tanev for the majority of the season, then it's going to be imperative that the team makes sure they have enough insurance on the back end. Tanev isn't the only injury-prone player and it's possible that guys like Brandon Carlo and Oliver Ekman-Larsson could find themselves on the shelf at some point.
Which is why a Rasmus Andersson trade may be on the horizon. Knowing that the team needs a steady presence at the backend, it could force Treliving into making that deal which isn't bad in the grand scheme of things but may cost them quite a haul.
It may be best to wait it out and see how the team performs without Tanev, as it's not like they are incapable of defending; we saw them shut down the Devils and guys like Jake McCabe and Troy Stecher are going to step up as they typically do.
There's no real rush to make a deal just yet for Brad Treliving but if he's going into the deadline without a potential backup plan for Tanev in mind, it could very well backfire on the Maple Leafs.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 1 | 1522 ANSWERS Brad Treliving under pressure as Maple Leafs reassess trade deadline plans Should Brad Treliving make a trade to replace Chris Tanev? | ||
| Yes | 892 | 58.6 % |
| No | 630 | 41.4 % |
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