More Deals from Dubas

 

Kyle knows the trade deadline is on Friday, right? More trades went down today from the Toronto Maple Leafs, so I am typing up this article to try and break down what Kyle Dubas did Tuesday night, but I am fully expecting more deals to go down because so many reporters close to the team are saying Toronto isn’t done.

So, let’s start from the top, this afternoon Dubas started the day by trading Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defender Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick that originally belonged to Boston. I’m honestly surprised that Rasmus Sandin was traded before Justin Holl simply because Holl has the bigger cap hit but Sandin’s play defensively has caused him to slide down the team’s depth chart. Sandin was having a respectable season with the Leafs with 20 points this season in 52 games but defensively was where Sheldon Keefe had an issue and he felt that Timothy Liljegren had taken a step further in development.

Erik Gustafsson:

Erik Gustafsson is a 6-foot-tall defender who plays an offensive style and so far in 61 games Erik has 38 points so I think it is safe to say that he will take Sandin’s spot on the second powerplay unit and with his point production it’s highly likely that he will fit in perfectly with this forward group. I know fans will look at his stats over the years and sure you’ll see a drop but remember Washington is a team that is aging and especially this season the Capitals are a team that has battled injuries and they are looking at building towards the future.

 
So, that trade happened at around 4 pm Tuesday and then about twenty minutes later Kyle Dubas made a call to his teacher Lou Lamoriello and made a trade with the Islanders, Kyle would trade Pierre Engvall in exchange for a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2024. People who have followed this blog which has turned two years old today would know that throughout the two seasons, I have praised Engvall when he has done something positive and there have been plenty of positives. There were also a fair number of negatives that came with Pierre’s time with the Maple Leafs. Let’s talk about the positives first, Engvall appeared in 228 games for the Leafs where he would register 42 goals with 41 assists for 83 points. Pierre is a guy who has all the tools to be a 6 million dollar forward in this league. He has the speed that GMs would look for in a player, Pierre has a great shot and we have seen it on display many times for Toronto. He also has the size that a lot of teams would look for standing 6 foot 5. Now the negatives, I’ll sum it up this way by saying Pierre Engvall has all the tools but no toolbox.  Engvall would always use his speed and when you think he would use that speed and drive to the net. Instead, Engvall would always put the breaks on and circle back and shoot from a low-scoring area. When Pierre would be on offence without the puck you would hope that someone who stands well over six feet tall and weighs over 200 pounds, you would think he is someone who would always throw his weight around. Sadly no, Engvall would rarely throw his weight around. Islander fans trust me there will be times when watching Engvall is on the ice that you will love what he does out there and then there will be times when you wonder if he’s even out there. So many hockey insiders have said that if Pierre would throw his weight around and play with a more physical aspect in his game then he would be a player that everyone would want because he would only make their team harder to play against. For Pierre’s sake, I hope that playing the remainder of this season with the Islanders gives his game a fresh start. I am sure some fans may feel that getting a 3^rd round pick for Engvall may be disappointing but those fans are missing an important detail. Dubas just removed 2.25 million dollars off the books and cap room is always important. For the Leafs gaining cap space is also important because Matt Murray is eligible to come off the Long-Term Injury List Wednesday, March 1^st when the Leafs visit the Oilers.

Luke Schenn:

Minutes after trading Engvall the Leafs announced that they had traded a 2023 3rd-round selection to the Vancouver Canucks for D-man Luke Schenn. Yes, you have read that correctly Luke Schenn has returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team who drafted him out of Kelowna way back in 2008. I know many fans are likely rolling their eyes at this trade and I get it because the first go-round with Schenn didn’t go too well. There are a few factors that went into that, he was only 18 years old and yes, he was a 5^th overall pick by then GM Cliff Fletcher, but he wasn’t ready to play in the NHL at that time in his career. Honestly, I think if Schenn finished his Junior career with Kelowna and then spent a season or two in the AHL on Toronto’s farm team that would have given Luke plenty of time to adjust to playing the game at the professional ranks. Again, to the people that don’t like this trade because of the first Luke Schenn attempt. In his first 4 years with Toronto, he registered 75 points in 310 games played. To me, that is a respectable point total from a young defender who was playing on a terrible Leafs team. Since November, I was saying that Luke Schenn would be a perfect addition for the Leafs because he is a low-value contract at $850,000 and he could slide into the team’s bottom six D pairing. Looking at Schenn’s stats from this season with the Vancouver Canucks in 55 appearances Luke has 3 goals and 18 assists for 21 points. I had fans tell me Schenn’s numbers were awful, and that Toronto shouldn’t get him. To those fans, you are ignoring one important detail. The Vancouver Canucks are a dumpster fire of an organization right now and yes they’re likely missing the playoffs but Schenn along with his 21 points this season so far, has also managed a Plus 9 rating and that simply can’t be ignored. Also, here’s another key stat Luke Schenn has registered 258 hits this season. Do I think Luke Schenn will be an everyday player on this roster? Likely not. I think you will see Schenn rotate in and out of the lineup with someone like Justin Holl. Schenn also brings the experience that comes with winning two Stanley Cups with the Lightning to this Leafs, and with the Leafs on the verge of playing Tampa in the opening round the Leafs defence with McCabe and Schenn in the lineup the Lightning will likely have a tough time playing against a few defenders with a hit first mentality.

 

 

I am very happy with the depth moves that Kyle did this afternoon, but I am going to wrap this one up, as always thanks so much for reading but as crazy as it may sound, I don’t think Kyle Dubas is done making trades for this roster before the Friday deadline. There are rumours out there that Toronto is possibly shopping for a goalie but at this point who really knows what is about to happen? I am sure we will have more Leafs news very soon.