Dave Litman
The shockwaves were felt across Leafs Nation Wednesday night. The Toronto Maple Leafs had officially signalled that the sell-off was on. The club healthy-scratched the trio of Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton and Oliver Ekman-Larsson for “roster management purposes.” As it turns out, while discussions were obviously ongoing, no trade was imminent… Yet. It was more of a “bubble wrap” situation, just to make sure an injury didn’t put the kibosh on a potential deal.
Leafs GM Brad Treliving is deep in conversations on those three, and probably more of his charges, as the Friday trade deadline (3:00 pm Eastern) is now within sight.
For Oliver Ekman-Larrson, the Buds’ top defenseman this season, he has boosted his stock big-time. With another two years left on his $3.5 million AAV, there is interest in him on a number of fronts. Insider Elliotte Friedman, speaking on NHL Network, names two teams that he feels are in on OEL:
- Boston Bruins
- Detroit Red Wings
Both Atlantic Division rivals are squarely eyeing a bolstering of their blueline. Adding a strong skater and puck mover like Ekman-Larsson, who also brings physicality and a high hockey IQ, is just what these teams are looking for. OEL is also having his best offensive season in seven years, with 35 points in 61 games.
The Leafs would certainly be more than happy to keep him, but passing up on trading him when his value is so high would be a mistake. They’re hoping to secure a first-rounder and a little something extra.
Scott Laughton linked to Avalanche
Laughton is a pending unrestricted free agent on a $3 million AAV, but with 50% having been retained by the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade one year ago. Friedman says the Colorado Avalanche seem to be the main pursuers, and the $1.5 million cap hit isn’t too onerous for them. The Leafs could even retain some to boost the return.
The gritty two-way bottom-six center is just what the doctor ordered for the Avs. As for the return, the Minnesota Wild paying a second-rounder for the far less-skilled Michael McCarron bodes well for the Leafs.
Loads of interest in Bobby McMann
And that brings us to McMann. The 20-to-25 goal scorer (he’s on 19 with 20+ games to go) is heavily in demand. James Murphy in rg.org lists seven teams that seem to be in on the big, speedy winger:
- Edmonton Oilers
- Seattle Kraken
- Los Angeles Kings
- Minnesota Wild
- San Jose Sharks
- Nashville Predators
- Tampa Bay Lightning
The Oilers seem to be the frontrunners in the McMann derby. The Kings and Kraken are desperate for an offensive boost, so the 6-foot-2, 209-pound forward would make a ton of sense for either of them as well.
The 29-year-old McMann has repeatedly said he wants to remain with the Leafs, but Toronto is reported not to be willing to go to the five-year, $5 million AAV price that he’s looking for. Negotiations on that front are continuing, however, as of early Thursday morning.
Should be an intriguing 24+ hours in Leafs Nation as the deadline approaches.
