3 trades the Toronto Maple Leafs need to make this offseason

Toronto Maple Leafs: Trade for depth in the bottom six

Similar to the discussion surrounding the Leafs backup goalie situation, trading for bottom six forwards doesn’t scream necessity. However, when you’re as stacked up front as the Leafs are, there are no excuses to lose games because the bottom of the lineup can’t break even.

Toronto has rolled out various iterations of their bottom-six this year, with the most recent configuration looking like this:

Pierre Engvall – Alexander Kerfoot – Denis Malgin

Kyle Clifford – Frederik Gauthier – Jason Spezza

While not as bad as some teams, it doesn’t exactly exude the qualities one would expect from the bottom of the roster. While Clifford brings some size, Malgin can skate and Kerfoot is responsible at both ends of the ice, there’s no real identity or threat among this group of players.

If the Leafs were to bring in a couple new faces that could bring energy, tenacity and possession to the bottom of their lineup, it may allow them to attack in waves instead of bringing two powerhouse lines to the table and taking the next two shifts off.

The Leafs should look to a player like Scott Laughton. For three straight seasons, the feisty forward from Philly has registered double-digit goals and was on pace for a career year prior to the stoppage. Laughton is relentless on the forecheck, opportunistic in the offensive zone and sneakily strong on the puck. He also brings a heaping dose of sand paper and general nastiness to a Leafs lineup that’s missing some anger.

Laughton’s ability to play both wing and center, as well as slide up and down the lineup has been a major factor in the Flyers success this season. It’s not unreasonable to think that Laughton is more than capable of centering the Leafs third or fourth lines, or even switch to wing in the middle of the lineup.

It’s unlikely the Flyers would be willing to part with Laughton, but it’d be an interesting fit. If Dubas can’t pry Laughton from Philly, he may look elsewhere. Former Bruin Danton Heinen plays a fairly similar game as Laughton and is a couple years younger. Ivan Barbashev is another player of the same ilk.

The point being, while these types of players often go under the radar, they play vital roles on successful teams and more often than not, bring an “x-factor” to the table. Whether that’s snarl, grit, timely scoring or momentum swinging plays, the Leafs don’t have it.

The Leafs are a good team. They’re a long ways off from the dumpster fire they were just a handful of seasons ago. However, they club is reaching a crossroads. Do they double down on being a top-heavy skill team, or do they address the imperfections in depth that plague their roster? Either way, this offseason looms large for Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan.

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