Two Young Players Are Making Brad Treliving's Trades Look Worse by the Day
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
It seems like as Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin continue to flourish with their new teams, it seems like Brad Treliving may have jumped the gun last season.
Last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to add some reinforcements ahead of the postseason, which involved them making two trades at the deadline last season for Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton.
it cost them Fraser Minten, Nikita Grebenkin and two first-round picks respectively in the two deals, and while the two additions for the Maple Leafs were fine in their roles it wasn't anything really worth overpaying that much for; especially with how things have turned out now.
How Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin Are Thriving With Their New Teams
According to some new video and information on social media, it seems that both Minten and Grebenkin are not only impressing their new teams, but they might be primed for some real action this season.
The Flyers decided to put Grebenkin on a line with newcomer Trevor Zegras and rookie sensation Matvei Michkov and according to sources he was absolutely brilliant:
Grebenkin's chemistry with Zegras and Michkov was seamless, natural.
He skated with pace, retrieved pucks, and found smart ways to keep plays alive, whether by extending possession along the wall or making the small, quick passes that let Michkov and Zegras do what they do best. (Not to mention, Grebenkin kept the game interesting by stirring the pot with the Islanders multiple times.)
The chemistry was surprising not because the top two meshed; that was expected. But because Grebenkin elevated the line instead of weighing it down.
He skated with pace, retrieved pucks, and found smart ways to keep plays alive, whether by extending possession along the wall or making the small, quick passes that let Michkov and Zegras do what they do best. (Not to mention, Grebenkin kept the game interesting by stirring the pot with the Islanders multiple times.)
The chemistry was surprising not because the top two meshed; that was expected. But because Grebenkin elevated the line instead of weighing it down.
Meanwhile, Minten has been impressing scouts and coaches, with some believing that his only real step left is the Bruins; much like Easton Cowan faces with the Maple Leafs.
That's a really rough bit of news from their rivals as when you look at Toronto's outlook when it comes to who they got back, it's not great.
Sure, Carlo is a legitimate top-four shutdown defender, and has been a godsend next to Morgan Rielly, but perhaps Toronto could have found a deal for David Kampf instead, replacing him with Minten and giving the team more flexibility.
But there's already been talks about him being traded to bring in the forward help Toronto wants to add, but it's a tough pill to swallow to trade Minten, a first, and now Carlo in what can only be described as indecisiveness at best and mismanagement at worst.
Laughton gets a little bit of a pass considering Toronto was able to get some salary retention but it doesn't excuse the fact that the team may have had their right-wing problems already solved up front had they kept Grebenkin.
As you can see with the Flyers, he has no issues with keeping up alongside elite level talent and one can only wonder what the trio of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and Grebenkin might have done; or even him with John Tavares and William Nylander who also need a winger.
There's a very good chance that this is a flash in the pan and that Grebenkin and Minten don't turn out exactly the way anyone had anticipated.
But it seems like they are not only primed for the big time, but ready to do some damage to the team that gave up on them a little too early.
TRENDING NOW
