The rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs figure to be extremely busy leading up to next Monday’s NHL trade deadline, and they wasted no time getting a head start on the rest of the league.
The Leafs already traded away captain Dion Phaneuf in a Feb. 9 blockbuster with the Ottawa Senators, and Toronto on Monday completed a trade with the San Jose Sharks. The Leafs acquired the Sharks’ 2017 and 2018 second-round draft picks and forward Raffi Torres in exchange for defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling.
The trade illustrates the differences in two teams going in different directions with very different short-term goals. The Sharks are adding some blue-line depth in Polak, a player who should help San Jose down the stretch. The Sharks are gearing up for what could be one of their final runs with their current core, and teams in playoff contention always are looking to bolster their defense.
On the other side of the coin, Leafs general manager Lou Lamoreillo is in stockpiling mode while retooling his team’s roster.
In addition to the Phaneuf trade, the Leafs also swung a deal with the Avalanche over the weekend, sending Shawn Matthias to Colorado in exchange for Colin Smith and a 2016 fourth-round pick.
Thumbnail photo via John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports Images
