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TORONTO BETS BIG ON PLAYOFF HOPES

FEBRUARY 5TH, 2022 BY HIERONYMOUS MACMILLAN

Someone might want to tell Led Tasso that the calendar only just flipped over to February.

With the trade deadline still well over a month away, Led Tasso couldn't have a picked a better trade partner than the Vegas Golden Knights to push all of his chips into the middle of the table when he made a deal that sees Toronto acquire  T.J. Oshie and Gustav Forsling. 
So, don't cry for me Toronto fans when it comes to the trade deadline frenzy when your GM sits tight because rest assured that this trade, combined with the acquisiton of Alec Martinez and Sam Gagner just under two weeks ago, is likely to be that big swing you'd typically see on deadline day.
It's been no secret that Toronto has been looking to boost their offense within their top 6, specifically on the right side, for the past few weeks. And while their last two games on the road have seen them hang 6 goals against both Chicago and Dallas (and surrendering 4 goals against in both games!) this was still a move that Tasso was going to make no matter what.

With hindsight, we know now that he was looking at a select group of players to trade for. Tyler Toffoli, Brock Boeser, Bryan Rust, David Perron, Kasperi Kapanen. Like any GM worth a grain of salt, he put in the phone calls but nothing came of it. But when it looked like Vegas was wanting to move on from Oshie, it seemed like this was a move that he needed to make.

What is Toronto getting?

TJ Oshie

Remember this?

Ok, sure. It was 8 years ago. Does it make it any less impressive? Of course not. But as we all know, time is a cruel mistress. The good news is that Oshie hasn't dropped off all that much in that time. And while his RHL numbers this season may not scream elite (18-14-32), they're still good enough to be second in scoring on the Golden Knights. His hands are still great and he's got speed to burn. The hope is that he can form chemistry with Stamkos, bumping the latter back to his natural center position. Stamkos started the year strong and, up until last night's game against Dallas when Jordan Staal notched 5 points, has led the team scoring virtually all year. He's slumped lately and everyone within the organisation is hoping that Oshie can be the tonic to cure what ails him.

Gustav Forsling

Toronto likes Forsling. Like, really, really likes Forsling. And while I'll touch on what assets were given up in this trade, it's easy to see just how much.
The Leafs have wanted to add somebody with Forsling's skill set all season. Throughout the season they had been in touch with Nashville about possibly acquiring Matt Dumba but nothing ever materialised. With virtually the same skillsets and Forsling coming in at under half the cap hit of Dumba, the Leafs get the defensive upgrade they've coveted all season. Additionally, the Leafs feel strongly that Forsling is a late bloomer and has a higher ceiling than what he's shown so far. Let's hope they're right.

Danny O'Regan
No offense to O'Regan, but his involvement in this deal only exists to facilitate the numbers game when it comes to the contract limitations of teams in the league. O'Regan is past the point of being able to make a positive impact at the big league level but is a serviceable minor leaguer. He won't hurt the Marlies aspirations of winning a championship

2 x 6th round draft picks
Sure, it's easy to look at late round picks and scoff. But Led Tasso cut his teeth in the scouting game and prides himself on his late round drafting proficiency. One not look any further than last years draft when Toronto had 9 picks in the last 3 rounds of the draft. While the jury is still out on how anyone made out at that draft, there are those who feel like the Leafs may have found some diamonds in the rough.

What did Toronto give up?

Craig Smith
Signed to a 4 year contract worth nearly $4million per (and a $2.5million signing bonus) it's clear to say that Smith was one of Toronto's biggest splashes in free agency this past offseason. However, things just didn't seem to click upon arrival. He was given chances on the top line, and ultimately bounced all over the lineup in search of finding chemistry with anyone on the roster. Whether it was being under the microscope of playing in Toronto or just an overall decline in skill, his time was up.

Sami Vatanen
Vatanen played well enough this year when he was able to find himself in the lineup, but found himself as a healthy scratch over the past 9 games. His inclusion in this deal was mostly due to salary cap concerns for Toronto.

Nolan Patrick
This one will sting for Led Tasso. He made a big trade with Los Angeles to acquire Patrick in the offseason. We know Tasso still believes that Patrick has what it takes to be a star in this league, but Patrick being included was paramount in making this deal happen.

Scott Perunovich
Another big get for Tasso this offseason. Perunovich WILL be a beast in this league, but he's not ready yet. It's for that reason that Tasso was willing to flip him for Forsling, bolstering his defense for a playoff run.

Cole Jordan
Drafted late in the 3rd round at 90th overall, it's still way too early to tell what Jordan's impact will be in this trade.

2023 1st round pick
Acquired in the deal that saw Toronto send Hellebuyck to Arizona. A 1st round pick is always a highly prized commodity. Only time will tell what this pick yields. 

Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Led Tasso is doing his part to give Toronto a chance of not only just making the playoffs this season but trying to orchestrate a deep run once there. While it seems unlikely that we'll see any other major shakeups to the roster before the trade deadline, we wouldn't put it past GMLT at this point. 

What do you think of the trade? Who won the trade? Did Toronto give up to much of its future with too much uncertainty surrounding their position in the standings? Let us know in the comments!