With the trade deadline coming next Wednesday, and the Leafs settled snugly into sixth place, the team’s status as either buyer or seller is still unclear. The team as presently assembled is not a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup, and no Jarome Iginla could change that fact. Compounding matters is that Dave Nonis has already iterated that the team is not going to sacrifice the youth movement filtering into the professional ranks of the club for the sake of the immediate future. So even if the Leafs were to be ‘in’ on Ryane Clowe, they’d be priced out of the running by teams like the Bruins or Ducks.
Another odd facet is that there have been precious few intra-conference trades, with the Penguins acquiring Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray and Iginla from the Stars, Sharks and Flames. Even the Leafs’ housekeeping moves saw Mike Brown, David Steckel and Matthew Lombardi head to Western Conference teams. Conference-wide parity being what it is, teams appear loathe to help any direct rivals. That same parity is also dampening much trade talk, as even 11-seeds could get hot and sneak into the playoffs.
Until or unless Nonis is willing to throw caution to the wind and part with real pieces, don’t get excited for the deadline.
Wednesday Morning Links..
- Last night’s Game in
1019 and a plethora of videos to relive last night’s thrilling Leafs win. - Recaps from Cam Charron, Michael Langlois and PPP.
- Leafs playoff odds are up to 97.6% according to sportsclubstats. The Hurricanes and Rangers dropped 8-10% after last night’s losses.
- Mark Zwolinski at The Star with a rundown on trade deadline possibilities for the Leafs.
- Cam Charron with a positional breakdown of possible deadline options.
- A fresh copy of today’s up-to-date NHL standings.