Toronto Maple Leafs Instantly Regretting Lack Of Deadline Deals

Thanks to a recent surge of injuries, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a bit of buyer’s remorse.

Within hours of the trade deadline passing by the biggest fear for the Toronto Maple Leafs became a reality. A team limited on defensive depth lost two of their key blueliners as the trade deadline came and went without General Manager Kyle Dubas making any significant additions.

Jake Gardiner is week-to-week with a back injury and Travis Dermott is out at least a month with a shoulder injury. The decision to not seek out defensive depth could be the cloud that forever hangs over Dubas’ first year as an NHL general manager.

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It has been no secret all season long the Maple Leafs greatest need was on defense. Dubas thought he fixed the problem when he acquired Jake Muzzin for a package of prospects and a first-round draft pick. Unfortunately, after a month with his new club, he has proven one player can only do so much, as he’s quickly fallen out of favor with his head coach.

Mike Babcock had Muzzin with Team Canada during the 2016 World Cup and chose to play him slightly more than he’s chosen to play Justin Holl this season. The thought process at the time was Team Canada was so loaded on defense Muzzin simply wasn’t needed but in his short time in Toronto, it seems Babcock just isn’t a fan of him.

With the early returns suggesting Muzzin and Babcock will have some challenges, it became puzzling when the deadline came and went without any additional moves by Dubas. A paper thin blueline even with Muzzin was just one injury away from being in serious trouble. Then two lengthy injuries occurred in less than 24 hours of the deadline.

The Maple Leafs now have to turn to three players who have either barely played or simply haven’t played at all. Holl, Igor Ozhiganov, and Martin Marincin, three players who are fringe NHLers at-best and will rotate taking turns on Toronto’s third defensive-pairing.

Holl has sat in the press box all year, having only played in three games this season as he receives the career-ruining Frankie Corrado treatment from Babcock. Marincin has only played in 11 games as he’s consistently failed to stay in the lineup despite multiple seasons of opportunities. Ozhiganov has the most games played at 43 but hadn’t played in over a month until the injuries since Muzzin’s arrival.

The Maple Leafs are also short on minor-league options as the Toronto Marlies don’t have any instant saviors like Dermott was the past two years. Calle Rosen would be the best bet but there’s no guarantee he’d be any better than the options on the main roster. Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren are also too young and could use more seasoning before the pressures of a playoff run.

In hindsight, it’s easy to say the Maple Leafs should have acquired more defensive depth given the injuries to Dermott and Gardiner hours after the deadline. However, in reality, it’s baffling why any deal didn’t occur.

Dubas rolled the dice depending on a suspect blueline when it was fully healthy. Everybody also knows any multi-round playoff run sees multiple injuries at some point meaning Toronto was going to have to rely on defensive depth they didn’t have even in their best case scenario.

Instead, Dubas watched teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Adam McQuaid or the Winnipeg Jets acquire Nathan Beaulieu and did nothing. Will either player help their respective team win the Stanley Cup? It’s doubtful. However, did anyone foresee Michal Kempny being one of the best blueliners of the entire 2017-18 Stanley Cup playoffs for the Washington Capitals?

It’s not about acquiring a superstar, it’s about having the depth to insert a legitimate NHL player into your lineup. As the Maple Leafs continue to prepare for the playoffs and begin to rotate their defensive pairings, serious questions will remain about whether or not they do have legitimate NHL defensemen.

To make matters worse, Dubas chose to do nothing in what could be the last trade deadline he even has the option to do anything. The cap crunch the Maple Leafs are headed towards this summer will severely limit their ability to add impact players without serious subtractions from the roster. In fact, this could have been the last time in the duration of the John Tavares and Auston Matthews contracts that Dubas could have added anything given how tight Toronto will be to the cap in future seasons.

Instead, he chose to do nothing and risk an entire season with a loaded offense and some cap flexibility by gambling on defensemen many question if they should even be in the league. Dubas hasn’t had many rookie moments in his first year on the job but this will be one that won’t soon be forgotten.