It’s that time of year again, when many different fan bases believe their team is the best team going into the last stretch of the season and they believe they are the team to win the Stanley Cup. This year, the Leafs have taken a different approach than last season’s trade deadline.
Last season, former Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas was all in. He spent a lot of assets on rental players and built a Leafs team that was finally able to get over the first round hump. This season, Brad Treliving had different plans for them and made more depth moves.
Ilya Lyubushkin trade
Last week, the Leafs got started with their mid-season trades by (re)acquiring Ilya Lyubushkin (75% retained) from the Anaheim Ducks for a third round pick (2025), and a 6th round pick (2024) to Carolina for retaining 25%. The Leafs would also acquire the signing rights to unsigned draft choice Kirill Slepets from Carolina to make the trade work.
Although Lyubushkin was injured in his first game back, I think this is a good move for the last stretch of the season as well as in the playoffs. Although Lyubushkin’s stats this season haven’t been the greatest, he was on a bad team and on the Leafs he will most likely take on a smaller role in the lineup. Similar to Simon Benoit, he had poor stats coming off last season with the Ducks. He came to the Leafs and strived in a smaller role in the team.
One thing that I like about this Lyubushkin trade is that since he’s played here before, he is used to the pressure of playing for the Leafs in the playoffs. A lot of players don’t like the pressure of playing for them, but he is a player who has experienced this before. Another thing I like about this trade is that Lyubushkin is a physical defender who isn’t afraid to throw his body and is the kind of defender that can play a lot of minutes. Overall, I think the Leafs will re-sign Lyubushkin at the end of this season.
Joel Edmundson trade
On Thursday, the Leafs acquired Joel Edmundson (50%) from the Washington Capitals in exchange for the NYI 2024 third-round pick, and Chicago’s 5th round pick in 2025. My first thoughts of this trade was more of a head scratcher. In my opinion, the Leafs were in need of a right-handed defender and a winger. Paying a 3rd and a 5th for a defender who won’t have a huge impact in the lineup compared to the price the Panthers had to pay for Vladimir Tarasenko (a 2024 conditional 4th round pick & a 2025 3rd round pick). Although Ottawa doesn’t retain any salary, and Ottawa didn’t have much leverage, I still think the Panthers underpaid for Tarasenko.
With both players being rentals for their teams, I believe the Leafs slightly overpaid. But what do the Leafs get in Joel Edmundson? Edmundson is a 30-year-old left shot defensemen and an upcoming UFA. I think Edmundson slots in to the Leafs middle-bottom pairings while bringing a veteran presence on the defensive end that will see him eat up minutes as well as kill penalties.
Cade Webber trade
Also on Thursday, the Leafs completed a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. The trade would see the Leafs acquire the Hurricanes’ unsigned 2019 4th round draft pick, Cade Webber. The Leafs would send a 2026 6th round pick in return. Cade Webber (23) is in his 4th year at Boston College. He is a 6’7 defensemen who has appeared in 115 games, putting up 16 points. Cade Webber is a big defender, which is what direction the Leafs look like they want to be going in.
Connor Dewar trade
In the final minutes of the trade deadline, the Leafs would trade their 2026 4th round pick and Dmitry Ovchinnikov to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Connor Dewar. It wasn’t the big trade a lot of fans were expecting, but it was a solid depth trade. Connor Dewar, 24, is an upcoming RFA. He is a defensive forward who can kill penalties and overall, can be a great defensive forward in the playoffs.
Now what did the Leafs give up? The Leafs are trading away a 4th round pick along with Dmitry Ovchinnikov. The 21 year-old, was in his first full season with the Marlies, where he had 10 points in 20 games. Ovchinnikov spent most of last season in the KHL with Novosibirsk Sibir, where he put up 13 points in 68 games.
My opinion of the Leafs trade deadline
Overall, I don’t think the Leafs did enough during the trade deadline. I think the Leafs needed a middle-6 winger, and a big name defensemen. Seeing what the other top teams did at this year’s deadline compared to what the Leafs did is in my opinion, night and day. Organizations like Florida, Carolina, and Vegas all made big moves by not giving up too much and now sound like Stanley Cup favorites going into the final stretch of the season.
However, I don’t think the Leafs wasted their opportunity to build a solid team as they aim for a long playoff run. They added depth, which is what they really needed. They got guys who may not have been the biggest names on the trade market, but will have a solid impact on the team.
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