Amid all the uncertainty surrounding who the Toronto Maple Leafs might target and what assets they’d be willing to give up ahead of Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline, there appears to be at least some clarity over what the club’s shopping list may look like. It’s been evident for some time that there exists a glaring need for an upgrade to the third-line centre position, while some recent suspect defensive efforts may prompt the addition of blue line depth.
More recently, chatter seems to have picked up regarding the Maple Leafs’ need for some upgraded physicality within the bottom-six. This makes sense from a stylistic standpoint, with head coach Craig Berube never one to turn down more sandpaper. It also sparks hope of a brotherly union in Toronto, with Brandon Tanev’s name being bandied about in trade rumours to join his older brother, Chris.
Yet, the rumoured pursuit of physical forward depth begs the question: do the Maple Leafs really need it? For as glaring as the club’s needs for a number-three centre and added defensive help are, the same can’t necessarily be said regarding further help up front. While Toronto is far from perfect and has its fair share of roster holes to fill, the seemingly annual hunt for added toughness and depth in the forward corps probably isn’t necessary this season.
Maple Leafs Aren’t Short on Forward Options
Every playoff contender could use a little extra depth and toughness, but is that really a major concern in Toronto? In Wednesday night’s admittedly lackluster 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs iced a roster chock-full of regulars, including recent returnees Calle Jarnkrok and Steven Lorentz, without needing the services of healthy scratches Ryan Reaves and Connor Dewar or the recently-demoted Alex Steeves. That group promises to get even more crowded once Max Pacioretty return to the lineup.
That is a lot of players and simply not that much ice time to go around. And of course, the problem only becomes further magnified with the addition of a third-line centre to bump everyone down a rung on the depth chart. Sure, the Maple Leafs could move a roster player like Nicholas Robertson prior to 3 p.m. on Friday, but that still represents a pretty significant glut of NHL-calibre forwards.
If general manager Brad Treliving brings more players into the mix for roster spots ahead of the playoffs, it will create some competition but can also cause problems in terms of cap space usage and the allocation of a limited number of NHL-eligible players. The current lower tiers of the Maple Leafs’ depth chart may not be perfect, but guys like Robertson, Pacioretty, Steeves, and Pontus Holmberg offer potential offensive contributions, while Reaves and Lorentz can help add to the team’s grit.
You Might Also Like
- Sabres Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Trade Deadline Approaching & More
- Suggested Trade Sees Sharks Landing Panthers’ Bobrovsky in Deadline Blockbuster
- History is Repeating for Maple Leafs With Another Disappointing Fallout
- Red Wings Trade Deadline Notebook: Targets, Players to Avoid & Trade Chips
- Rangers Must Avoid Major Mistake in Potential Lafrenière Trade
Depth Forward Additions Haven’t Helped
Toronto still has an admiration for those hard-nosed types who can mix it up in the corners and don’t mind dropping the gloves on occasion. It’s widely accepted that those type of tough guys best demonstrate their value once the postseason rolls around and things start getting more chippy and physical. Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs’ recent playoff forays simply haven’t shown that to be true, even if they have often included enhanced forward depth and toughness.
If we focus solely on depth forwards acquired at the deadline in recent years for their physical edge (apologies, Denis Malgin and Nic Petan), we can outline a list that includes Kyle Clifford, Colin Blackwell, and Sam Lafferty (plus Brian Boyle, if you want to go back that far). Of those players, Clifford ultimately averaged 8:13 of ice time in the playoffs, Blackwell saw 7:12 on the ice per playoff game, Lafferty averaged 10:41 and Boyle slotted in for 12:27 per game. That’s all to say that none of these additions wound up being counted upon for significant postseason roles.
Likewise, it’s tough to see any incoming forwards – apart from a new third-line centre – reaching a point where they are occupying a significant role in the lineup come Game 1. Based on a quick glance at possible names outlined on The Hockey Writers‘ Trade Bait List who fit the physical depth forward description, it’s hard to see any of Ryan Donato, Justin Brazeau, or Michael McCarron as notable upgrades from what the Maple Leafs have at this point.
What the Clifford, Blackwell, and Lafferty acquisitions all share in common is that each depth forward was included as part of a multi-player deal that saw the Maple Leafs land a more significant piece (Jack Campbell, Mark Giordano, and Jake McCabe, respectively). As such, the ineffectiveness of those forward additions tend to get glossed over, as the bigger component of those trades becomes the focus of any critical evaluation.
In that sense, adding a physical depth forward would probably be largely inoffensive. One can always argue for adding depth in the event of injury and the acquisition cost on such a player typically isn’t high. At this time of the season, no contender is in a position to say they couldn’t stand to get tougher. And yet, such a superfluous addition can have ramifications throughout the lineup while bringing minimal benefit. Acquiring that type of player at the trade deadline has done little to help the Maple Leafs in the past, and it doesn’t seem like it would do much this time around, either.
