The Los Angeles Kings just handed Toronto the perfect trade chip to fix the blue line
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
After LA clinched a playoff spot, Toronto's pick from the Scott Laughton deal became Buffalo's 2nd rounder and they could use it as ammo to rebuild the blueline.
Luckily for the Maple Leafs, they were able to at least come away with a better consolation prize from the Scott Laughton trade than they probably anticipated. Banking on the Kings making the playoffs, they did just that and gave Toronto the Buffalo Sabres' 2026 second-round pick.
Though now comes a big decision for the new management team to make, which is whether or not to keep that pick to use at the draft, or find a way to improve their blueline.
With how things have gone, they should really look towards the latter.
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Toronto has a lot of work to do to improve their blueline, and they are going to need assets to deal away and a second-rounder is a pretty solid piece. While it might not bring you the player you want; it can certainly help.
It could be part of a deal to bring in someone like Dougie Hamilton, and with the team looking to move on from Morgan Rielly and bring in a different look — he's certainly got the credentials.
There's a very slim shot that the Maple Leafs end up getting a top-five pick this season, and while it would be great to bring in a new prospect, there's a lot of attention around what the team can do now for Auston Matthews so it would be smarter to accelerate the rebuild.
Matthews is going to need someone who cannot only protect him, but can make sure he gets the puck a lot more often and honestly, it might take that second-round pick to sweeten the pot.
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Truthfully, Toronto is pretty lucky to be here all things considered. It's not like LA had to deal with only the Canucks the rest of the way.
They were up against a fight or flight Seattle team to clinch, but also had to rattle off six wins in eight games including three wins in either OT or a shootout against Toronto, St. Louis, and Nashville.
That's not necessarily the easiest task for the Kings, as they weren't a powerhouse and needed some help along the way.
But for the Maple Leafs, they are quite thankful for them for getting into the postseason and changing how Toronto views the trade situation come the offseason.
A second-rounder can be a valuable piece to a team looking to dish off names, and the aforementioned Hamilton or even someone like Bowen Byram could be added — every little bit really does help.
The franchise has a lot of work to do when it comes to rebuilding the roster, but now that they have a second-round pick at their disposal, it could be enough ammo to help them fire the first shot.
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