We put out the call last week for questions and comments to our Maple Leafs mailbag.
As it turned out, readers, you had some some things to say with the National Hockey League trade deadline looming on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Today, we answer your questions. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at your comments.
Some questions have been edited for length and clarity. And thanks for taking the time to get in touch with us at the Toronto Sun.
Q: Do you think it would be better for the Leafs to go after another tough, stay-at-home defenceman and bolster the third- or fourth-line centre spots with “affordable” players available or do you think they should sell more of the farm to try to get Brayden Schenn or Mikko Rantanen?
David Hemmings
A: There’s not enough on the farm to acquire Rantanen. Even if the Leafs get a stay-at-home defenceman or a third-line centre (that, not a fourth-line centre, is their target), giving up something of value is going to have to happen.
Schenn would be a great add, but the St. Louis Blues might not be willing to part with their captain. As for Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, Ben Danford or the Leafs’ 2026 first-round pick, I don’t think anything should be off the table.
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Q: Is the Leafs’ strategy to add ho-hum depth players at the trade deadline or might we see an eye-opening deal or two?
Ed Helinski
A: The former, though I don’t think general manager Brad Treliving will be referring to any addition as “ho-hum” once the trade dust settles on Friday.
We know, or think we do, that they’re not going to add a top-six forward or a top-pair defenceman. To a degree, the Leafs’ strategy is bound by the salary cap and what they have to offer.
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Q:
Dave Adams
A: No, to your last question. I don’t think anyone in the Leafs’ front office would say that it’s not a big deal to rely on talent from within because there’s always the free-agency pipeline. If the scouting staff can find another player in the ilk of, say, Matthew Knies, then by all means, get it done. And there are players targeted in free agency by the Leafs that sign elsewhere.
Coverage in the market doesn’t dictate necessarily how much the Leafs have to give up in a trade. Regarding your question about the Leafs tending to have to give up more to execute a trade, well, sometimes mistakes are made. No one, for example, on the outside was demanding that Kyle Dubas send a first-round pick to Columbus for Nick Foligno in 2021, but it happened despite Foligno’s best days in the NHL being behind him.
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Q: We’re already without a first-round draft pick in the coming draft. What’s left in the cupboard if we trade away assets like Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten? Should we not be developing players from within the organization to step in and fill the holes in the lineup? Would developing talent from within also clear up a lot of our issues with the salary cap?
Dave Scott
A: The Leafs will alway be a spend-to-the-cap team, whether they’re developing from within or not. True, if Cowan and Minten eventually are traded, there wouldn’t be much left in a cupboard that’s not overflowing with prospects.
Players with the Toronto Marlies such as Alex Steeves, Alex Nylander and Marshall Rifai are fine to call up every so often, but none are expected to be full-time NHLers.
Keep in mind that the Leafs do develop from within and we’re not talking about first-round picks. Examples on the team now would be Matthew Knies (second round in 2021), Joseph Woll (third round in 2016) and Bobby McMann, who put in his time with the Toronto Marlies and in the ECHL after going undrafted.
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Q: Offensively, I see Matthew Knies as a 30-goal scorer with great net-front presence. He could be the second coming of (Mark) Messier if he could find that level of reckless passion. What would you pay him on the next contract? I’d like to see five years at $6.5 million US.
Dave Cockton
A: Speculation early this season tied Knies to $7 million a year, but the Leafs, even with an increased salary cap, might not want to go that high. Something in the range of $5.5 million to your number, $6.5 million, could work.
Why would Knies settle for a bridge deal at a lesser number? His impact has been crucial this season. Going into games on Tuesday, he was tied for third in the NHL with 19 goals at five-on-five. He has proven his worth.
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Q: What happens if the Leafs bow out in the first round again? Also, if Mitch Marner tests free agency, then should Leafs pursue Mikko Rantanen?
Kdog Kraemer
A: If the Leafs bow out in the first round again, there’s no question that changes would have to be made.
We don’t think changes would include general manager Brad Treliving or coach Craig Berube.
President Brendan Shanahan and the Leafs’ core four would have to be in the crosshairs. Shanahan has been on the job since April 2014. Eleven years to get it right will have been more than enough time to have more success in the playoffs than just one advancement past the first round, which came two years ago.
Captain Auston Matthews (three years remaining on his contract) and William Nylander (six years) each have a no-move clause. They would be staying put.
So what of Marner and John Tavares, who both would be headed to the open market? How could the Leafs bring both back and properly sell that to a frustrated and angry fan base?
Yes, if Marner goes to free agency, the Leafs should pursue Rantanen if he’s available. At worst, they would have plenty of money to upgrade the blue line. Among the defencemen headed for unrestricted free agency are Aaron Ekblad, Jakub Chychrun and Neal Pionk.
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