The 2023 draft class is shaping up to be a special one, and even though the Leafs will be picking late, they will still have a chance to add a high-end prospect to their system. That adds to the value of the pick, both for the Leafs and for sellers at the deadline. I would be weary about moving the pick and would only do so if it means acquiring a surefire impact player who fills an area of need. That said, I would prefer to move the 2023 first-rounder rather than a prospect like Knies whose proximity to the NHL and unique style of play make him extremely valuable to a contending team.
James Reeve:
Keep it. It’s getting to a point where genuine young talent is needed to help the team continue to build moving forward.
Mike Westlake:
Trade for someone better than Nick Foligno if possible (wink wink). Go all in this year because if Leafs Nation has to go through another season after this without a playoff series win, they might actually start jumping ship.
Jon Steitzer:
Outside of Jakob Chychrun, I’d have the 1st as off limits. I’d consider moving the 2024 in a rental situation, and give the Leafs a year to try to recover a replacement pick, but Toronto needs to care about drafting as their core becomes even more expensive in the coming seasons and there is an even greater reliance on high performing ELC players to round out critical areas on the lineup card. I don’t know how much it is worth gambling the future when a Tampa vs. Toronto first round series is essentially a coin flip.
In a bit more of a rapid fire question, I provided the TLN contributors with a list of players and draft picks and asked them to mark them as someone they’d be willing to trade, someone they’d only trade for an asset they deem as top talent, or if the player is completely untouchable. Here’s a graph:
Save for my “remember a guy” listing of Fabrice Herzog, it was Timothy Liljegren who wound up being the most untouchable player in the eyes of TLN contributors. This really shouldn’t come with much surprise as the Leafs having an affordable, young, right-shot defenseman is something that has been a constant ask, and walking away from a homegrown player would be asinine.
Matthew Knies is the only other player with an over 50% score as an untouchable and that too makes sense. While I agree with what Nick Richard has to say about the need to temper expectations for Knies, there is no doubt that he is an absolute unicorn of a prospect in the Leafs organization. Being a physical player who has the hands to add some offense to his game makes him a player the Leafs need to give every opportunity to become a fit in their lineup, even if it’s initially in a smaller role than many have dreamed up for him.
It was interesting to see that both the current first-round pick and Nick Robertson are the only assets that weren’t considered untouchable by anyone. That’s not to say they aren’t valued, but injuries serve as potential red flags for Robertson and while the above question regarding the first-round pick shows apprehension over trading it, the need to win sooner rather than later for the Leafs is also very real. I’m not sure I understand the logic of someone having the 2024 pick as untouchable but the 2023 pick as in play but to each their own.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Ty Voit and Roni Hirvonen, the consensus lower tier of prospects on the list led the way as the most tradeable assets. This wounds me a little bit as I am one of the people who marked them both as untouchable, and assume I was loving my small kings the day I responded to the survey. Perhaps I just didn’t think they’d be valued in a trade enough to part with them. Let’s go with that as it makes me seem saner.
For the sake of time, I spared everyone the next layer of prospects and the 2nd round pick in 2024, which should have been easy “trade them” responses, but I do feel bad for not forcing some opinions on Conor Timmins, Pontus Holmberg, and Joseph Woll.
