McMann vs. Dickinson: How Treliving failed the Leafs deadline
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Brad Treliving failed to garner any high-value return for Bobby McMann after building him up and his excuse for why he couldn't get it done looks even worse now after saying the market 'dictated' the return -- but other teams didn't seem to have any issues.
McMann was traded to the Seattle Kraken for a second and fourth-round pick, a much steeper drop-off than the potential first-rounder or even the multiple seconds he was expected to grab a la Kiefer Sherwood. Meanwhile, Edmonton -- a team so heavily interested in McMann reportedly -- acquired Jason Dickinson.
Dickinson, a defensive center with not the highest offensive ceiling managed to nab a first-round pick and with him also having one of the lesser debuts for a new player; the deal looks even worse for Treliving. This wasn't a sell-off of prime assets, this was a Boxing Day Sale at best.
Don't forget, Toronto paid Philadelphia a lot for Scott Laughton and barely got a return there, and even he is a better offensive option than Dickinson is.
Brad Treliving failed the Maple Leafs yet again
So then you have to wonder how Chicago landed the pick? Well, they did offer to cover 50% of his $4.25-million contract, and that's always an appealing asset to teams.
Lemme check...oh. Toronto has all three retention slots left? They could have made McMann someone who earns less than league minimum and scores 20 goals and therefore raised his value even higher?
Even if you retain at 25% of his salary, the guy makes $1.35-million. This isn't Auston Matthews' contract we're dealing with and it's a true blight on Treliving that he sold low and didn't fully use all his tools.
No first for Bobby? What are you doing Toronto?
To put it into perspective, Dickinson has scored 20 goals once in his 11 year career, and never hit double digits otherwise. He hovers around the 20 point mark, can win you face-offs and is physical but not that game-changer Edmonton needed to put them over the top.
McMann is on pace to beat those numbers and then some, and it's genuinely mind-boggling how there was zero interest in using the retention slots. Sure, you wanna use one for Morgan Rielly this summer, go ahead.
But that leaves you two more spots and it's highly unlikely a prime free agent wants to come to a losing side so what are you losing? A few hundred thousand dollars for a multi-billion dollar franchise? Unreal.
It's time for the Maple Leafs to realize that Brad Treliving might not have the team's best interests in mind considering his role as talent evaluator is as reliable as building a sand castle near the ocean.
For someone who accepted full responsibility for his lack of results at the trade deadline, he sure as heck didn't do as much as he could to secure those desired results.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 7|821 ANSWERS McMann vs. Dickinson: How Treliving failed the Leafs deadline Is Brad Treliving failing the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 770 | 93.8 % |
| No | 51 | 6.2 % |
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