Why the Maple Leafs haven't made a trade yet as the deadline approaches
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been discussed in tons of trade speculation but no deals have materialized, however there may be one critical factor preventing it.
Since the offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been a team that has been attached to pretty much every potential trade target. From Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson to Brayden Schenn, Jared McCann, and Dougie Hamilton; there's no shortage of rumors.
While we've seen a few deals already this season such as the Quinn Hughes blockbuster and the Mason Marchment trade which has worked out swimmingly for Columbus, it's otherwise been pretty quiet.
Toronto not making moves yet because of tight standings race
With the Maple Leafs expected to make a deal for some type of improvement other than their roster, you would expect some more traction in the way of potential trades but there may be a very good reason why they haven't been able to.
According to Bruce Garrioch, beat writer for the Ottawa Senators, when Ottawa GM Steve Staios addressed the media, he mentioned that his team wasn't able to make a trade yet because of the incredibly tight standings race we have right now:
Staios says the trade market is difficult because the standings are so tight. Teams haven't determined if they are sellers or not.
Realistically, the only division that has some discrepancy is the Central Division, where you have Dallas, Colorado, and Minnesota running away with it.
The Atlantic's first and last place teams are separated by nine points, the Metropolitan has six points between first and sixth with several teams tied in points.
The Pacific is even crazier, as there's only six points separating first place Edmonton and seventh place Calgary, meanwhile if Vancouver gets hot they can certainly fight for a spot; they are only nine points out of a spot.
Toronto may want to stay a bit more patient right now
It makes perfect sense then why teams would be hesitant to give up players knowing they may have a genuine shot at making the postseason, and it's now much clearer as to why Toronto hasn't brought anyone in; or shipped anyone out.
We may not see a huge deal if things keep going this way, and it may be up to Brad Treliving to find players who are great supplementary pieces. Find a player like Troy Stecher who can elevate your team on the cheap; you don't need to break the bank to make an impact.
But first we'll have to see if there's any teams who either pull away easily or continue to free-fall. Until then, we're probably not going to be getting many deals.
Though with how Toronto's been doing lately, maybe they shouldn't be messing with a good thing.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 4 | 967 ANSWERS Why the Maple Leafs haven't made a trade yet as the deadline approaches Do you think the Maple Leafs are going to make a blockbuster trade or will they make smaller deals? | ||