"But beyond the evident statement, the Maple Leafs should take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade at one crucial position. In a January 31 piece, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic brought up an interesting point regarding the Leafs' moving forward. In particular, Siegel discussed how the Maple Leafs will need to replace Chris Tanev, as he is unlikely to return this season. Moreover, overly relying on Oliver Ekman-Larsson could be a move that might ultimately backfire in the long run."
"The biggest question will how the Maple Leafs can go about landing someone to replace Tanev. Before proceeding, I would like to point out that the Tanev is likely done. The Leafs knew there was a risk he wasn't going to see the end of his contract when they signed him. The hope was that he could play through most of it. But now it seems the end is nigh."
"At this point, whatever moves the Maple Leafs look to pull off are about next season and beyond. The assumption should be that this season is pretty much done. Still, the sell-off could yield a decent shot at an upgrade. While said upgrade may not necessarily land in a deadline deal, the Maple Leafs could get the pieces needed for a summer trade. Regardless, the focus should be on finding the pieces needed to offset the loss of Chris Tanev."
The Maple Leafs will begin selling off players around the trade deadline and should use the period to pursue a defensive upgrade. Chris Tanev is unlikely to return this season, leaving a clear need for replacement. The team is relying heavily on 34-year-old Oliver Ekman-Larsson, while Jake McCabe has struggled without Tanev. Even a minor upgrade on the blue line would provide valuable depth and stability. Any moves made now should target next season and beyond, with the sell-off used to acquire assets or pieces for a summer trade for a shutdown defenseman.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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