Leafs GM Dubas forced to focus on trade to bolster the blue line?

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a 7-3 drubbing from the Tampa Bay Lightning on home ice Thursday night, and fans and pundits are quickly starting to notice that the changes made on the back end over the summer might not have been enough…

As James Mirtle of The Athletic reports a huge early measuring-stick game then turned into a disaster last night as the Leafs faced the best line in the league, the Stamkos-Point-Kucherov line. 

As Mirtle notes, the Leafs’ defense struggled, which might be a cause for concern though the season has just started. 

“The six D were disorganized and made repeated unforced errors in their own zone. They continue to get beat man-on-man in tight to the goal, which is death against a team such as Tampa Bay.”

With that said, there might still need to be an adjustment period for the Leafs. As Mirtle points out: “GM Kyle Dubas changed a huge portion of the roster, including three of his four forward lines and all three D pairs. The Leafs changed their two assistant coaches. They changed both special teams, both in personnel and strategy.”

The Leafs are also missing Travis Dermott, still on the sideline. He could be the ultimate solution… 

However, Dubas will have to stay alert as he might need to make more changes to the back end to help his team in the long run. Will we see another major trade ahead of the deadline? 

If the Leafs continue to struggle, Mirtle believes Dubas will be forced to pull the trigger sooner rather than later.