I’m all to familiar with this scenario: with just under two months to go and 24 games remaining in the regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are sitting precariously on the edge of the playoff cliff. Currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with Washington and Winnipeg close on their heels, Toronto needs to play tough over the rest of the schedule to make it in to the post season. Do they have the team to do it? Well, with the trade deadline looming on February 27th, they have to decide quickly and Burke has to figure out if he’s willing to give something up to get that extra player that could help them out down the stretch… and into the first round of the playoffs.
So what exactly can be done to bolster the Leafs’ chances in 2012? There has been a lot of talk about Burke wanting to improve the team’s offense, as evidenced by the trade rumours in January that would have sent Luke Schenn to the Flyers for James van Riemsdyk. I was not completely opposed to trading for the 2nd overall pick who managed to put up solid numbers in his first two seasons in the league, but the 22 year-old forward has been dealing with concussion issues for over a month and the trade has been shelved for the time being.
Probably the biggest name that is included in most trade deadline discussions is Rick Nash. The Columbus Blue Jackets are awful this year and Nash may be willing to waive his no trade clause to go to a playoff team such as the Leafs. The problem is, with the inflated prices at this time of the year, would it be worth it to get Nash when the team is so close to missing the playoffs entirely? James Mirtle from the Globe and Mail argues against the Leafs going after Nash and I agree with him. If Nash were to get traded, I think Toronto would be a wild card in the situation, with Los Angeles or the Rangers being some of the more likely spots he would end up.
So if Burke wants offense, where should he look? Another option would be to go after Bobby Ryan, who Burke himself drafted. I like the idea of adding Ryan to the roster but it again depends on the price. I think a deal involving possibly Kadri or Kulemin might be possible, but the Leafs will most likely have to sacrifice some draft picks as well. Burke would definitely attempt to involve Komisarek in the deal and dump his contract, and this brings up the interesting idea of packaging Ryan with defenseman Toni Lydman. After posting a +/- of 32 last year, Lydman has accumulated a -5 through the 2011-12 season so far and Jonathan Willis of ESPN reports that he has fallen out of favour with the Ducks. A good defensive defenseman, he would be a better option at the 5th or 6th slot than Komisarek.
There are other options that Burke could chase on the offensive side of the puck, including Jeff Carter, Ryan Malone, and Ales Hemsky, but I personally think that if the Leafs want to make the playoffs and survive through the first round they need to bolster their defense. I’m not saying they go after another top defenseman, but adding someone like Lydman, who I just mentioned, could bolster the back end of their defensive core. Hal Gill would have been a good fit but Nashville scooped him up on Friday, adding to an already impressive blue line. Going after someone like Lydman or say, Tom Gilbert from Edmonton, wouldn’t make huge waves but would give the Leafs a little extra safety in front of their shaky goaltending situation. Burke could score someone like Gilbert for a lesser cost than a big name player and the Oilers may be willing to part with the defenseman; he has seen decreased time on the powerplay due to a young core on the Edmonton blue line, and he may be a trading chip for the second last team in the league.
Of course I would love for the Leafs to improve their team and win it all this year, never mind just making the playoffs, but it is all about what they have to give up to get there. If Burke can find the right deal I am sure he will make it, but I really don’t condone giving up a large chunk of the Leafs’ future for a run at an eighth place finish and possibly an early playoff exit. I think their offense is one that can win games, but with Reimer and Gustavsson in net, they need a defense that can provide extra support for their somewhat mediocre goaltending. Since I don’t see the Leafs going after a netminder before the deadline, improving their blue line seems like the most logical thing to do. Then maybe we’ll be watching a Leafs’ playoff game for the first time since 2004. Fingers crossed.
____
Nick McIsaac is Toronto Standard’s sports writer. Follow him on Twitter (for everything sports related) at @nickclass.
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard or subscribe to our newsletter.
