With NHL rosters fully formed after Friday’s trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in an extremely tight race for the Atlantic Division title. Although there won’t be a President’s Trophy winning team in the Atlantic, three powerhouses have emerged. Despite losing Matthew Tkachuk to injury, the Florida Panthers are rolling, leading the division with under 20 games to go. Meanwhile, their in-state rivals in Tampa Bay have cooled off a bit, losing two straight after winning nine of ten leading up to the deadline. As usual, the road to claiming the Atlantic Division will not be easy for the Maple Leafs, but it’s never been more important for them to claim top spot in the division.
With all three teams trading significant assets to load up for a playoff run, one of them is guaranteed to be massively disappointed in the first round of the playoffs. For the Maple Leafs, putting themselves in a position where they only have to beat one of the two Florida-based clubs is incredibly important.
Unlike last year, where Florida won the Atlantic and still had to deal with a tough Tampa Bay team in round one, the wild-card teams in the East are far less imposing. The Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Senators, Rangers and Canadiens are all imperfect teams. While they can’t be taken lightly, they are far less dangerous than any of the top three teams in the Atlantic.
Let’s take a look at each team’s trade deadline additions, and the Maple Leafs’ path to claiming the Atlantic Division.
Which Atlantic Team Won The Trade Deadline?
Florida, Tampa Bay and Toronto all made significant moves at the trade deadline. Which team’s trades are the most impactful in the race to claim the Atlantic Division?
1. Florida Panthers
The Panthers were already tabbed as the favourite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup. Then they added Seth Jones a couple of days before the trade deadline and somehow swindled Brad Marchand out of Boston for a conditional draft pick. The Jones trade is a long-term gamble considering his contract, but certainly helps the team now. The Marchand trade was fantastic value for the Panthers. When healthy he’ll seamlessly slide into Matthew Tkachuk’s spot as a gritty, highly-skilled left winger.
If Tkachuk can return during the playoffs, Florida will boast a terrifying amount of firepower up front. Tkachuk’s injury allowed Florida to play the infamous LTIR game, giving them plenty of cap space to make these moves.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
While the Maple Leafs couldn’t find the value that Florida did, they did a fantastic job addressing their biggest needs at the deadline. Oakville native Scott Laughton had been long-rumoured as a Maple Leafs trade target, and he projects as a big upgrade as the Maple Leafs third line centre.
Max Domi has occupied that role for most of the season, and he’s struggled mightily at both ends of the ice. Near the end of last season, Domi thrived on Auston Matthews’ wing, helping fill a playmaking role while Mitch Marner was injured. A promotion back up to the top-six seems likely for Domi, which is another benefit of the Laughton acquisition. Laughton’s versatility, work ethic and edge should endear him to Craig Berube.
Brad Treviling and company weren’t done there however. With minutes remaining before the deadline, Toronto acquired Brandon Carlo from their arch-rivals in Boston. If he can stay healthy, Carlo projects as a perfect fit in Toronto’s top four. The Maple Leafs needed a right-handed shot to pair with either Morgan Rielly or Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who have been struggling defensively as a pair. Carlo’s size and defensive prowess fit perfectly with what Treviling and Berube want from their defence, and his acquisition gives Toronto their strongest d-core in the Auston Matthews era.
Another key for Toronto: salary was retained in both trades. This gives the Maple Leafs Carlo and Laughton for multiple playoff runs at very reasonable cap hits.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
Not to be outdone, Tampa Bay double dipped by reacquiring Yanni Gourde and adding Olivier Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken. Gourde was a key depth contributor for the Lightning on their back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams. Gourde’s only played 36 games this year, with his ice time dropping to his lowest since the 2019-2020 season. Nevertheless, his familiarity and playoff experience with Tampa Bay make him a valuable addition. Like Gourde, Bjorkstrand hasn’t had his best season in Seattle, but he’s a veteran who’s proven his ability to produce at the NHL level. Tampa Bay’s additions were the least flashy of the three teams, but their depth is much-improved after Thursday’s trade.
The Maple Leafs Road to Claim the Atlantic
Oddly enough, the Boston Bruins have done the Maple Leafs two massive favours since trading away a large part of their roster. After beating Tampa Bay 4-0 on Saturday, they scored three straight third period goals to upset the Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night. The Leafs on the other hand snapped their three-game skid with an unconvincing shootout win against Utah. Blown leads and humbling results against elite competition plagued the tail-end of Toronto’s road trip.
Beyond the two games against Florida, Toronto has 15 games remaining. 10 of these are against teams that are either in or fighting for a playoff spot. Highlights include Saturday night’s game against the surging Senators, a rematch with the Avalanche and a late-season matchup against Tampa Bay.
The head-to-head matchups give the Maple Leafs a fantastic opportunity to win the Atlantic Division, however, they have plenty of work to do to clean their game up first. Toronto has been porous defensively, allowing far too many high-danger scoring chances. The Brandon Carlo – Morgan Rielly pairing is a work in progress, and Chris Tanev is still sorely missed.
There are questions up front too. Scott Laughton’s line has yet to find a clear identity and you have to wonder if Berube will swap Calle Jarnkork and Max Domi to create a shutdown line anchored by Laughton and Jarnkrok. Besides Domi, Bobby McMann should be the top candidate to win the final spot in the Maple Leafs’ top six. Other options such as Max Pacioretty, Pontus Holmberg and Jarnkork are unreliable due to health concerns or lack of offensive upside.
The Maple Leafs depth is much-improved after the trade deadline. Now it’s on Craig Berube to find a way to optimize the lineup and put his players in positions to succeed.
Prediction: Will the Maple Leafs Claim the Atlantic Division?
You’ve got to BeLeaf! The Maple Leafs will clean up their defensive lapses and take advantage of the Panthers’ injuries to pull away and finally win the Atlantic division. If they do, they have a very realistic chance of meeting the Ottawa Senators in the NHL playoffs for the first time in over 20 years. How good would that be?!
Who do you think will win the Atlantic Division? Let me know and be sure to follow Area 51’s NHL coverage down the stretch and into the playoffs!
