Sitting seventh in the Atlantic Division, and 12 points out of a playoff spot, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now exactly what we thought they’d be going into this season: major trade deadline sellers. Last summer, they loaded up with journeymen on short-term contracts, all of whom could potentially be worth a draft pick or two to a contending team preparing for a team playoff run. There are also many players who have been with the team a while who are very likely on the way out at some point. So, the Leafs roster now is almost certainly very different from the one we’ll see on March 1st.
Some Leafs have had stellar bounce-back seasons this year under Mike Babcock, causing their trade value to skyrocket. Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, and Roman Polak are likely the most outstanding improvements. However, a few of the Leafs pending UFAs desperately need to have a strong month of February if they have any hope of being shipped to a Stanley Cup contender.
3 Leafs Pending UFAs Must Perform in February
Nick Spaling
At $2.2 million on the cap, Nick Spaling would be a relatively significant addition to a playoff team’s payroll. So, he has to make himself worth that money. So far, he hasn’t really shown that. 4 points in 27 games, while playing over 15 minutes a night is not impressive, although the vast majority of his ice time is in the defensive zone. Regardless, Spaling’s scoring upside has not made itself known in any way. His low production would be okay, if he were performing well in his own end. Despite being seventh on the team in penalty kill ice time (fourth among forwards), Spaling has not contributed much. He has just 2 penalty kill hits, a far cry from the physical presence he was made out to be when the Leafs acquired him in the Phil Kessel trade. To top it all, Spaling is last on the entire Maple Leafs team in shot attempt percentage, at 43.3%, indicating he hasn’t caught on to Mike Babcock’s possession system as well as some other players. He will certainly continue to get defensive zone minutes, so if Spaling can use those better and show he can be an asset to a playoff team, the Leafs might manage to get a late draft pick for him.
Shawn Matthias
Much of what was said above about Nick Spaling applies well to Shawn Matthias, too. At $2.3 million, he’s the most expensive player on this list (granted, it’s still no monster contract). One of the major causes for his struggles this season has been confusion as to what his role is on this Leafs team. Matthias has long been known as a big two-way centre who can take faceoffs, but he hasn’t really been that. He’s only taken 16 draws all year, playing on Spaling’s wing. So, it’s been hard to pin down exactly what Matthias’ job is. He doesn’t play on the penalty kill very often, nor does he get much time on the power-play. However, he is getting around 13 minutes a night, which seems to be relatively evenly distributed between the offensive and defensive zones.
Matthias will look much more attractive to a deadline buyer if he manages to up his scoring. 16 points in 49 games is far from spectacular, although not far off his numbers of previous seasons in Vancouver and Florida. Right now, Matthias hardly stands out at all with the Leafs. If he somehow heats up offensively, or becomes a stronger defensive presence in the month of February, he could be worth a third rounder at the deadline. Currently, he’s in danger of being overlooked.
Brad Boyes
Very little was expected of Brad Boyes this year, coming into training camp on a PTO. It was a nice story, with a guy who was drafted fifteen years ago finally suiting up for his first game with the Leafs. However, the plan all along was to see if they could flip him at the trade deadline. Right now, that doesn’t look too likely. He is supposed to be a scorer, but he has not been that with the Leafs – just 14 points this year isn’t horrendous, but isn’t something that’s terribly likely to turn heads on February 29th. Boyes gets respectable fourth line minutes, but for a player who gets time on the power-play almost every game, he should have more than 2 points from that situation.
Boyes is actually a very good possession player, his 55.1% shot attempts putting him third on the entire team. However, this hasn’t manifested itself on the scoresheet particularly well yet. If bounces start going his way this month, Boyes’ trade stock could rise significantly. More than the other players on this list, he has shown promise this season. Some bad luck, and some bad decisions have kept him from being a huge success. However, he seems likely to become a more attractive target for a playoff team, given his inconsequential cap hit ($700,000) and his scoring upside.
Main Photo:
