Quick Shifts: Maple Leafs under new pressure to trade for defenceman

3 15 minutes read

A fast mixture of the issues we gleaned from the week of hockey, critical and fewer so, and rolling 4 strains deep. Child was extra recognizable than Play for fade-related causes.

1. Morgan Rielly says he’s pleased with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ defence corps as is as a result of what else is he going to say and since he’s not incorrect.

Regardless of a rash of blueline accidents — shot-block king Mark Giordano is the one Leafs defender with good attendance — Toronto ranks fifth total in objectives allowed per sport (2.64).

Captain John Tavares will inform you that, defensively, that is one of the best group he’s seen since he signed house. That’s partly personnel, partly buy-in and maturity.

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The Leafs coach begins an inventory: offence, competitiveness, physicality, measurement, penalty killing, expertise, perspective, poise….

“Not numerous guys like that,” Keefe says.

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He’s appropriate.

There’s even fewer of them accessible for trade. And the Oilers, Jets, Jackets and Blues are additionally searching for D.

And the closest facsimile, Dmitry Orlov, was simply snatched up by the rival Boston Bruins — already tops within the NHL in objectives allowed at 2.11 per sport.

The wealthy obtained richer. The Atlantic arms race is hotter than a pistol, and Tampa’s Julien BriseBois should be cooking up one thing for March 3, proper?

“We’re getting shut now,” Rielly says. “Groups inside your division, you’re watching. We regulate it, however we don’t fear about it an excessive amount of. That’s out of our management as gamers,” Rielly says.

“Come trade deadline day, you’re glued to the TV. You need to see what’s happening. You need to see what different groups in your division are doing. Who is aware of?”

We do know that, contemplating Toronto’s hefty opponents, a 3rd pairing of Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren is regarding. And that the Leafs are one damage away from throwing the promising however inexperienced Conor Timmins to the wolves.

Kyle Dubas should add to his defence. He has six days to accomplish that.

Costly as he was, Orlov would’ve been unbelievable.

So… the place does the GM flip now?

Columbus nonetheless hasn’t had its worth for Vladislav Gavrikov met, and Boston was the front-runner. He’d be a wonderful improve.

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Jake McCabe continues to be an possibility. Scott Mayfield probably just isn’t, with the Islanders firmly within the wild-card combine.

Jakub Chychrun and John Klingberg are definitely intriguing however costly. Luke Schenn can be much less so. Nick Jensen has entered the chat.

Little question, Dubas is exploring all choices. However at this level, the one possibility not price exploring is standing pat on the again finish.

“It’s an thrilling time,” Tavares says. “You’re within the last third of the season right here. It’s the playoff push, and also you see how groups really feel heading in direction of that point of 12 months.”

How does Toronto actually really feel about its defence? We’re about to discover out.

2. Should you have been questioning why Dubas surrendered the higher of his third-round picks within the Ryan O’Reilly trade (Ottawa’s), that’s as a result of Toronto’s personal 2023 third-round choose was frozen till Friday night.

As a situation of the 2022 Nick Ritchie–Ilya Lyubushkin trade, the Arizona Coyotes had the selection of utilizing both Toronto’s 2023 third-rounder or Toronto’s 2025 second-rounder.

As a result of the Coyotes opted for the second-rounder, Dubas is now free to deal his 2023 third.

Ought to he try this, nevertheless, Toronto received’t choose till the fifth spherical this spring.

3. Right here is Keefe on his early impressions of O’Reilly off the ice:

“He’s a really enjoyable and easygoing man. Doesn’t take himself or the rest too severely. But his sport and his routine, his craft he takes extraordinarily severely and works very onerous at it.

“That’s a uncommon steadiness. You see numerous guys which can be very critical and at occasions perhaps want to loosen up and have a bit enjoyable. I believe he’s obtained that good steadiness and nice degree of confidence that comes with the kind of profession he’s had and accomplishments he’s had.”

4. When promoting goes proper…

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5. Even when Craig Berube obtained fired from the Philadelphia Flyers bench halfway by the 2014-15 marketing campaign, his workforce wasn’t shedding this typically.

His GM is in promote mode, and a few of his greatest gamers have already walked out the door. The 2019 champs are reeling, and the coach is feeling it.

Seldom to we see a coach publicly reference his gamers’ paycheques the best way we did Thursday. Seldom will we see a star participant hearth again publicly at his coach’s criticism the best way Robert Thomas did Friday.

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Was it a mistake for Berube to air out his younger stars (albeit not by identify) from the rostrum? Most likely.

Everyone seems to be reeling right here.

The Blues have been a 109-point risk in 2022 and arguably gave the Cup-winning Avalanche its hardest check.

They by no means discovered their stride this season. Everybody exterior of Doug Armstrong appears in shock.

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“I don’t need to say an excessive amount of,” says former captain O’Reilly, who prefers to preserve his thoughts in Toronto. “Clearly, it was disappointing. We couldn’t appear to discover momentum. It was a problem proper from the get-go.

“A whole lot of that comes on myself being a frontrunner there. I’m supposed to drive the bus and didn’t. That’s why it in all probability dismantled the best way it did. A whole lot of good items there.”

Provides Noel Acciari, one other necessary function participant: “We wished to win, and simply one thing wasn’t clicking there. However, yeah, each man on that roster wished to win. We have been down on ourselves at occasions, and we have been up at occasions. However that’s the way it goes.”

For what it’s price, Berube is under contract for two extra seasons previous this one at a $3.5-million wage, per CapFreindly.com.

O’Reilly says he realized a ton from Berube over his Midwest tenure. The coach taught O’Reilly to belief himself.

“Chief’s a tremendous coach. I like the best way he had his pulse on the sport,” O’Reilly says.

“He was sincere. He advised you what you wanted to hear, and he advised it in the precise means. He was very respectful. You wished to give him every part you bought, simply the best way he’s and the individual he’s.”

From the skin, the respect between the outdated coach and new leaders wants consideration.

6. Keep watch over the Capitals and Blues, who can be trying to reclaim their 2018 and 2019 glory as quickly as doable. Considerably shock sellers with extra to shed, they’ve the property and the motivation to rebuild on the fly right here.

Armstrong is now outfitted with three first-rounders in June, plus two third-rounders. Within the 2024 draft, he holds and further second-rounder and an additional fourth. And that’s earlier than renting out Ivan Barbashev, one of many higher wingers nonetheless in the marketplace.

Armstrong doesn’t shy from dealing. Not an opportunity he merely drafts all these bonus picks to his roster. He’ll shake issues up considerably both by Friday or on the draft ground in Nashville. The Timo Meier risk is intriguing.

As for Washington, Lars Eller and Marcus Johansson ought to be accessible up entrance, and the one defenceman under contract past July is the injured John Carlson.

Righty Nick Jensen ought to carry worth, and lefty Erik Gustafsson has the cap hit ($800,000) and manufacturing (35 factors in 59 video games) to entice consumers.

Brian MacLellan can not commit to a full rebuild so long as Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are within the fold, so he’s positioning himself to be a big participant come summer time.

7. Anybody else up for a redraft of the CBA? That is simply foolish…

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8. Former powerhouses in St. Louis and Washington have waved the white flag.

Is Pittsburgh subsequent?

Not solely did GM Ron Hextall double-down on his getting old stars (Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter) in 2022, he prolonged inconsistent winger Kasperi Kapanen to a two-year, $6.4-million contract.

Halfway by the primary 12 months of that deal, Kapanen has been wholesome scratched a number of occasions and rendered untradable. He was positioned on waivers Friday and can nearly definitely clear Saturday.

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“When a workforce doesn’t reside up to expectations, change is inevitable — that’s a part of it,” coach Mike Sullivan advised reporters.

“Kappy is a very gifted participant. To a sure extent, it’s on all of us as a result of we didn’t discover a means to maximize his potential.”

Kapanen initially was drafted within the first spherical by Pittsburgh. He was traded to Toronto as a part of the Phil Kessel blockbuster and returned to the Penguins for a first-rounder.

Regardless of being given ample alternative to thrive offensively, Kapanen has by no means scored greater than 11 objectives in any season for Pittsburgh. He has seven objectives, 20 factors, and a minus-8 score by 43 video games this 12 months.

Kapanen will flip 27 this summer time. You by no means need to low cost an athlete’s resurgence.

However maybe, scary as it’s to assume, we already witnessed his greatest hockey.

That will be in 2018-19, when he scored 20 objectives for the Maple Leafs — plus that stunning go-ahead shorthanded aim in Recreation 7 at TD Backyard:

9. Solely six groups have a worse goals-per-game fee than the Minnesota Wild’s 2.81, and all of them are diving headfirst into the Connor Bedard sweepstakes: Montreal (2.71), Arizona (2.67), Philadelphia (2.67), Columbus (2.50), Chicago (.249), and Anaheim (2.47).

In a 3-2 league, the well-coached and extremely disciplined Wild wrestle nightly to get to three. Invoice Guerin by no means adequately changed Kevin Fiala’s offensive punch, and choices are scarce on the rental market.

Tyler Bertuzzi is off the market. Bo Horvat, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ryan O’Reilly are spoken for. And Timo Meier’s wage outlook takes him out of the image.

By means of their previous 16 video games, Minnesota hit the four-goal mark as soon as. It scored two or fewer 11 occasions(!) over that span — and continues to be in playoff place.

The Wild may use a Patrick Kane greater than anyone however might have to settle for, say, a James van Riemsdyk.

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10. You possibly can blame Wild administration for constructing a roster that has lasted previous Spherical 1 seven years operating. However you may’t accuse proprietor Craig Leipold of being low cost.

Not solely is Leipold nonetheless paying the freight for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, he’s given Guerin the greenlight to play banker.

As a 3rd get together brokering two vital trades, Guerin snatched up Toronto’s fourth-round choose in 2025 and Boston’s fifth-round choose in 2023. All these property price him have been a few of Leipold’s money.

Guerin is appreciative. Absolutely, greater than a pair rival GMs are jealous.

As a bonus, potential difference-makers O’Reilly and Acciari have been traded out of the Central Division.

Groups are solely permitted to retain wage on three gamers. You gotta marvel if Leipold has yet another in him earlier than Minnesota’s cap house dries up in 2023-24.

11. Huge fan of the New York Rangers’ aggressiveness.

Chris Drury locates his targets and makes his strikes.

The final supervisor has already upgraded in three positions and hasn’t dominated out Kane at a bargain fairly but.

Drury obtained the leap on each the front-line ahead and bottom-line ahead markets this month.

The return of Tyler Motte by way of Ottawa brings familiarity and dependability to a fourth line in want of an id.

As well as to his checking and penalty-kill work, Motte scored two massive playoff objectives for New York final spring.

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12. Bravo, Jully Black.

The Canadian singer not solely killed her rendition of our nationwide anthem at NBA All-Star Weekend, however she boldly flipped the opening lyric to: O Canada, our house ON fatherland…

Little factor, big factor.

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