This year’s NHL Trade Deadline was a bit different from what we have become accustomed to these past few years. Over this time, many marquee names available have been traded leading up to the days before deadline day. This means that, when the big day comes, the entertainment level is low and both the volume and the frequency of transactions are slow.
Due to the unique circumstances this season of the trade deadline occurring so quickly after the Olympic trade freeze, there was a bit more excitement this year. With so many goalies swapping locations, surprising moves like the Thomas Vanek acquisition by Montreal and the Roberto Luongo trade to Florida, and the last minute deals of the two biggest names on the market (the previously mentioned Vanek and Matt Moulson), fans keeping tabs at home were kept on the edge of their seats.
One of the teams that did not get involved this year was the Toronto Maple Leafs. While an upgrade to the defense and improved forward depth were certainly desirable, the recovery of many of the team’s injured forwards and their improved play leading up to the Olympic break negated the urgency of these acquisitions.
One of these injured forwards that is close to returning is Dave Bolland. Out since the fall with a severed tendon, Bolland’s return is almost like adding a player at the deadline, but with the benefit of not having to give up any assets due to the fact he is already on the team. Originally acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2013 Draft, Bolland was expected to slide into the number three centre role, providing a gritty, physical, two-way game while simultaneously agitating opponents and drawing penalties. While we haven’t seen much of him this season (he has played in only 15 games), his reputation of driving the entire Vancouver Canucks team crazy and scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal for Chicago last year, his return is the biggest acquisition the Leafs could have made at the deadline.
The team’s improved play leading up to the deadline was also a great reason for standing pat. The top line of Tyler Bozak between Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk has been red hot for weeks, with Kessel racking up enough points to vault himself into second amongst all NHLers in scoring. The defense has been gelling lately, with now not-so-new addition Tim Gleason providing a stabilizing presence for the team’s abundance of offensive-minded defensemen. Jonathan Bernier, as always, has been bailing out the team night in and night out, giving them a chance to win.
Perhaps the biggest reason the Leafs decision to do nothing on March 6th looks so good is their lack blue-chip assets to make a deal with. Without a second rounder in eithe the 2014 and 2015 draft (given up in the Peter Holland and Jonathan Bernier trades), and the graduation of prospects such as Morgan Rielly and Nazem Kadri the past few years, the team needs to keep the remaining assets they have for the time being until the cupboards can be restocked. This will be a critical issue in the upcoming season as the team develops into a regular Stanley Cup contender.
If the Leafs learned anything in the seven seasons they missed the playoffs between 2005-06 and 2011-12, it is that building a thriving prospect list is critical if the team wishes to improve itself, either from within or through trade. If the team trades too many picks and prospects for short-term fixes, they will eventually fall back their old habits of missing the playoffs regularly and having nothing in the system to show for it. Although some fans may be disappointed by the lack of General Manager Dave Nonis’ trades on deadline day, the long-term future of the organization will benefit from this inaction.
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