involves moving out a prospect like Nick Robertson, we think he’s prepared to make that deal. If it means trading a solid American League player like Alex Steeves or Nick Abruzzese, we think Treliving is ready to make that trade. Toronto doesn’t need to remake their first two lines, but if they do get a chance to improve the third and fourth lines – or, of course, find a veteran defenseman to beef up one of their top-two ‘D’ pairings – the Leafs will absolutely take a swing to land one.
The Leafs’ successes this season show how close they really are to being a world-beater. You can look up and down the lineup and see players who’ve either thrived for the entire season (Hi Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner!) or who’ve gone through ups and downs and been stronger of late (Hi Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and Ilya Samsonov!). There are very few holes in this roster, and now it’s up to Treliving to figure out how to plug in the pieces necessary for a long and fruitful playoff run.
Does that mean it’s time for a massive move? We’d like to say “no” to that
This is not to say Leafs fans can’t daydream about a huge trade. But it is to say Toronto most likely will be taking a delicate approach to the deadline. A move for a forward or D-man is almost certainly coming, but it may not be a household name or a superstar performer. That’s a reasonable expectation for Leafs fans in the next week.
