The Leafs had several needs going into the trade deadline. They could have used some extra depth at center and potentially even in goal as well. However, the biggest need was obviously on defense. While the team did make some minor moves to bring in depth on the blueline, Treliving avoided making major moves. Part of the reason for this is the fact that he did not want to move any of the team's most valuable assets.
While he was largely referring to the team's top prospects in Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten in this discussion, it also was about draft picks. The Leafs have very limited draft capital in the next few years due to buying at previous deadlines. As a result, Treliving wanted to hold onto his top pick this year.
That being said, the Leafs still had a somewhat successful trade season. The team desperately needed help on defense and that is exactly what they got. Treliving added Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks and Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals.
While neither Lyubushkin nor Edmundson figure to be major needle-movers in the playoffs, the give the team some much needed depth and injury protection as they head into the grueling playoffs. Whether or not the moves will be enough to make the team serious competitors remains to be seen.
