Darren Dreger Hints At Major Trade Incoming For The Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL Hockey Insider Darren Dreger recently touched on how he believes the Maple Leafs are in line to make a big trade ahead of the deadline in order to boost their playoff chances.
Every day there's a new headline regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs' game plan regarding a trade. Linked to everyone from Brock Nelson to Dylan Cozens to Brayden Schenn and even Erik Karlsson -- it seems the team is going to make a splash.
NHL Hockey Insider Darren Dreger has an inkling the Leafs are going to do something big, and named the team as one of the ones to watch ahead of March 7:
So with the Maple Leafs set to be intriguing as Dreger suggests -- what can the Maple Leafs do?
Toronto Could Pull Off Blockbuster Trade Or Several Smaller Ones
The intrigue Dreger alludes to comes within how the team approaches the deadline. If they want to go all-in and spend draft picks and prospects in order to win now, they could make a couple of deals for Brayden Schenn, Brandon Tanev, and Jamie Oleksiak.
All three would instantly improve Toronto's lineup in their own ways. Schenn is an elite two-way center who can score, be a playmaker, kill penalties, produce in the playoffs, is a Stanley Cup winner -- with Craig Berube nonetheless.
Tanev would add much needed stability and grit to the bottom six while adding offensive potential, and Oleksiak can be the shutdown defensive partner that Moran Rielly needs.
Those moves however involve trading Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, their top draft picks, and whatever else necessary to get it done. It's a lot to pay especially if Toronto gets sent home in the first round again.
But Toronto can also go the quiet route and make some smaller deals in order to shore up the holes in their lineup.
The team could go after pieces like Jake Evans, Ryan Donato, Michael Kesselring, or Mathieu Olivier -- all very cheap and reliable options though admittedly don't offer the game-changing impact as Schenn and the others.
It depends on a lot of other factors as well -- Calle Jarnkrok's health, financial aspects, if teams even want to trade those pieces in the first place; Brad Treliving has his work cut out for him.
But if Toronto is truly committed to their fans and ending a miserable 58-year Stanley Cup drought -- It might be in their best interest to go for broke.
