Toronto Maple Leafs New Additions from the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline
It was a cheerful and exciting month in the NHL before and during the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, and for the Toronto Maple Leafs making changes in accordance with the phrase: Now is the time!
GM Kyle Dubas took the time to look at his roster and make major upgrades, hoping it leads to a thorough and successful playoff run, which will be observed as his make-or-break year.
Looking at the moves he has made during the last 3 weeks, it seems as though he may have succeeded.
Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs were buyers at the trade deadline.
With the addition of Ryan O’Reilly at the forefront of moves made, it will be his dominance on-ice that will be the X-factor for the team.
He will be able to take on the forecheck along the boards and behind-the-net battles that will give the team the added physical presence they need to attack in the offensive zone.
Along with his teammate, forward Noel Acciari, who possesses an exceptional amount of playoff experience accumulated from the past teams he has played for, he will give the Toronto Maple Leafs additional options in the playoffs with his experience.
Acquiring forward Sam Lafferty is a move made to ensure that the bottom six forwards have extra firepower and added speed to their arsenal.
His teammate, defenseman Jake McCabe, will be the guy to give the Leafs the protection around the net with physicality, along with defensive awareness and the ability to make plays in the offensive zone.
Defenseman Erik Gustafsson is another defenseman that will bring the added comfort of playoff experience and gives the Toronto Maple Leafs added leverage to shift him around the defensive pairings.
And finally, two-time Stanley Cup winner Luke Schenn will provide defensive physicality along with awareness at both ends of the ice and keep the goalie and net secure when under pressure.
What were GM Kyle Dubas’s plans for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
As you can see, GM Kyle Dubas ensured the fact that he secured players with plenty of playoff experience, physicality, playmaking, and scoring ability that will help the current core excel during the postseason.
This will be a huge test for the Toronto Maple Leafs to manage to the end of the season. What may happen is the team loses games to work out the kinks in the lineup and test each other’s wits on-ice.
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Once the team has figured out its chemistry quite well in the upcoming stretch of games, we shall see how well this team has been formed.