The Next Stretch will determine which index the Toronto Maple Leafs Heads In
Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta joined SiriusXM NHL Network Radio with Steve Kouleas and Anthony Stewart, and the Toronto Maple Leafs were discussed. Pagnotta says if the road trip doesn’t go well, the Maple Leafs should consider shedding pieces.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
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Steve Kouleas: “We’re going to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs and the reality of not making the playoffs, instead of making them.” And I know you’ve discussed if that’s the case, then there might be a sale that might include nothing.
What are you hearing about capping potential players as the Leafs may become trades at the trade deadline for the first time since March 2016?”
Dave Pagnotta: “I think this four-game road trip will tell what this team ends up doing between now and deadline day. There’s a little bit of a runway before the roster freezes on the fourth. I think their last game is the second, back-to-back games in Edmonton and Calgary. Before that, this Saturday, they get Seattle at night (5-night).’ These are games that I can win for them, as they should, if you look at it, at least on paper, you would think that three of the four should be achieved, and maybe you can squeeze a point in the Edmonton game.
But if this thing doesn’t go their way, then I think they should seriously look at moving other pieces here. They have 29 games left in the season as of today. You lose four of those more. He is very far from the play-off spot, eight points behind. Now, they had talks with Bobby McMann’s camp about an extension, but nothing to report there; nothing has gone so far.
They plan to talk to Scott Laughton’s side, but they haven’t done so yet. These are loose talks that may have taken place on both sides, but as far as actual talks with Laughton, that hasn’t happened yet.
They have other pieces. And if they go through this road trip in Seattle and Western Canada, and it doesn’t happen, it’s not good luck for them; you have to start having tough conversations about other pieces.
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We know they hung guys like (Brandon) Carlo and (Max) Domi and (Matias) Maccelli before, but that was when they were trying to get guys together to improve and move on from there. Maybe they still do. It may be long-term thinking, someone who can help them next season and so on, but they will have serious questions that need to be answered.
I think one they can come back to is Morgan Rielly’s future in Toronto. He has a no-movement clause and a loose conversation with him in no time. After the end of their season last year, there were high expectations for him to enter the camp and start the season again, which he has not yet arrived.
You still have time left. He’s at $7.5 million, which is number two, a solid number. It wasn’t that first team here in Toronto, and I’m curious if they go back to him and say, Hey, let’s talk about other options. “
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