Toronto’s big trade plan just hit another major snag

The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperately working behind closed doors to get where they headed last season and more. But for that, they need a roster built to withstand four rounds of playoff hockey. And for the past weeks, they have apparently failed ot get the trade that gets them there. According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs have been aggressively working the phones, trying to add meaningful help, but so far, nothing has stuck.

“They’re really looking,” Friedman said during on his weekly Saturday Headlines on Sportsnet. “They’re trying to do things. They don’t want to trade the Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Knies, that’s not happening but they have looked around.”

In other words, Toronto is doing everything except touching its core pieces, and the league knows it.

Other teams however know exactly what the Leafs are trying to avoid, and that lack of willingness to include a premium piece is making things difficult. Toronto wants top-six scoring depth, a right-shot defender, and ideally a stabilizing presence in the middle six. But so far, every potential move has hit the same wall in the return offered in Toronto.

Teams with desirable assets aren’t interested in taking on mid-tier players or futures alone. They want impact pieces now. And with injuries piling up around the league, the demand for NHL-ready talent is even higher.

Meanwhile, the Leafs are in a tough spot. They can’t sit still, not if they want to avoid another early playoff exit, but they also can’t afford to strip down their depth or touch the core four. But I mean, come on, they never replaced Mitch Marner… what were they expecting?

That leaves GM Brad Treliving walking a tightrope: be aggressive without being reckless.

Just recently, the Maple Leafs have been linked to Calgary Flames’ Blake Coleman, but competition is fierce and money is tight…

There’s still time before the deadline, Toronto looks to be getting back on track and the market always shifts. But right now, the message is clear: the Leafs want to upgrade badly… they just haven’t found a way to make it happen.