Darren Dreger Makes Major Announcement on Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Plans
The Toronto Maple Leafs are most likely making a deal come Friday's trade deadline and a new report has all but confirmed that things will be looking different.
Friday at 3PM is the deadline for NHL teams to make a deal before the rosters essentially freeze ahead of the playoffs (no trades can be made) and with the Maple Leafs looking to be buyers, there's no shortage of pressure on GM Brad Treliving to do something.
But in by doing something, that means the current crop of players will change, and there may be some pieces headed out. While it's not certain, according to NHL Insider Darren Dreger: It's a very likely possibility:
So who could the Maple Leafs be sending out in hopes of bringing in the right pieces?
Toronto's Potential Trade Pieces Come Friday
There aren't a ton of wildly intriguing pieces that the Maple Leafs could get rid of either via trade or by waivers, though there are some likely candidates.
If Toronto brings in a couple of bottom six forwards, that could spell the end for Ryan Reaves and Connor Dewar.
Both players haven't really made much of an impact, and if the team can replace them with actual productive players; they have to improve.
Reaves makes $1.35M and Dewar makes $1.18M, and combined that would get their number a bit closer to the cap and a more reasonable way to cut costs.
There's also the case of keeping Jani Hakanpaa on LTIR to save his deal which gives them about an extra $1M to work with.
Toronto could also part ways with defensive center David Kampf now that Calle Jarnkrok is back in action, and dumping his $2.4M contract off would be a godsend for Treliving.
They can also trade either Philippe Myers or Conor Timmins in order to make room, although they would most likely be replacing them with another defenseman in a deal.
Those names aren't going to generate a ton of buzz, but if the team can find a taker; they need to hop on it. Kampf is the only one who would make any real impact, but finding someone to absorb his deal won't be easy.
Whoever comes in either before or on Friday, there's going to be a much different roster the next time Toronto takes the ice.
Let's all just hope that the moves being made end up being the ones that finally push them over the top.
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