Welcome to another edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Trade Deadline live blog here at TheLeafsNation.com, where we will be keeping track of all the latest news and rumours involving the Leafs as the day unfolds.
General manager Brad Treliving got a head start on rounding out his roster for the stretch drive with the acquisition of Ilya Lyubushkin last week, but indications are that he is still exploring all avenues to improve the Leafs’ lineup. Even after re-acquiring Lyubushkin, the blue line remains the biggest area of need as Treliving scours the market for a right-handed blueliner who can handle a top-four role, but they could still look to add a versatile, two-way forward as well.
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Treliving has expressed a reluctance to trade away premium assets such as first-round picks and top prospects for short-term help, and with plenty of big names already off the rental market, the Leafs will have to get creative if they are going to make any significant additions before the 3:00 pm ET deadline.
The Leafs are short on draft capital, but they do own their first-rounders in the 2024 and 2026 drafts, and they have an abundance of late picks in this year’s draft that could be used to acquire depth players or entice opposing teams to facilitate a bigger deal by retaining salary.
Salary retention will be crucial if the Leafs are going to make any moves as they enter the day with just $144k in cap space according to CapFriendly.com, but they do have the flexibility to clear upwards of $3.5 million in extra space by simply waiving or trading the likes of Conor Timmins, Martin Jones, William Lagesson, and Noah Gregor.
The Leafs are in a similar position with their prospect pool as they are with their arsenal of draft picks – a couple of high-end assets in Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten, then a glut of depth prospects that could be used as secondary pieces in the trade market. They also have Nick Robertson, who has established himself as an NHL player this season yet finds himself on the outside looking in at the moment. Still just 22 years of age, Robertson is a player who would be of interest to teams looking towards the future.
Examining the Leafs’ prospect capital ahead of the trade deadline
Timothy Liljegren is another interesting player leading up to the deadline. He has shown the potential to be an important piece of this team moving forward, but he hasn’t been trusted by the coaching staff to handle regular minutes in the playoffs to this point. Liljegren is still a young player under team control who has had stretches of strong play, but his inconsistency has led to questions about where he fits should the Leafs add another defenceman.
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Treliving will have to be conscientious of how he manages his limited assets, but the Leafs have the pieces and salary cap flexibility to make improvements to their roster if they can find a trade partner. Be sure to stay connected to TheLeafsNation.com all day to keep up with the latest Leafs news and rumours leading up to the trade deadline.
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