As he did a year ago when he acquired Jake Muzzin a month before the NHL trade deadline, Kyle Dubas got his heavy lifting done well in advance of the deadline this year.
That’s how the Maple Leafs general manager was viewing it after adding defenceman Calle Rosen and forward Matt Lorito on Monday in minor-league trades.
Not quite three weeks ago, Dubas traded for goalie Jack Campbell and forward Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings.
“We took our shot a little bit earlier in the month with the Campbell and Clifford transaction,” Dubas said on Monday. “So, unfortunately for everybody here (at his news conference), (the action before the deadline) isn’t as exciting as maybe you would like.”
Why wasn’t Dubas more active?
“It’s a byproduct of a number of things, cap space being one function, the performance of the team being another,” Dubas said. “And how different player injuries and their return to the lineup will impact the cap space in the remainder of the year. The confluence of all three of those things led to just some depth moves.”
Those injured players — namely defencemen Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci — are expected back before the end of the regular season. Had they remained on long-term injured reserve until the playoffs, the Leafs could have used those dollars to acquire players before the deadline.
PUTTING ON AYRES
Dubas had an intriguing take on the Leafs’ loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, when emergency backup goalie — and, sometimes, a practice goalie with the Leafs — David Ayres came in and helped Carolina beat the Leafs 6-3 at Scotiabank Arena.
“Saturday night was an embarrassing night, not because our team lost the game and the goaltender of record for the team was a Zamboni driver, who happens to be a wonderful guy,” Dubas said. “It was embarrassing because the way we played, putting us in a position where we were down to them 4-1, when we actually started generating shots on him.
“In those moments, impatience and frustration certainly boils. There’s no B.S. about that.”
Can the loss to the Hurricanes with Ayres in net — he faced just 10 Leafs shots on goal in nearly half a game, and allowed just two goals — crush the team’s confidence or be a turning point?
“I don’t know how it’s going to impact us,” Dubas said. “I think it was a was an embarrassing night, not because of David Ayres.
“If we won the game, it would be embarrassing as well, because you’re down 4-1 and then it’ll be a whole other set of controversy that would come up like ‘Oh geez, the Maple Leafs, it’s their own employee.’ I think everyone in here can imagine what that would have been like as well. We were in a no-win situation in that game.”
We’ll have to disagree. Two points, no matter who was in the Carolina net, would have served the Leafs rather well.
RIELLY ON ICE
Approximately 90 minutes before the Leafs started practice on Monday, there was a welcome sight at the Ford Performance Centre, as Rielly (foot) and Ceci (ankle) joined Ilya Mikheyev (wrist) for a brief skate.
“I felt okay, didn’t really push it hard, just a public skate,” Rielly said with a grin. “It’s a long process, but when you’re gradually getting closer to the end, it starts to feel good.”
Rielly has not played since suffering a broken foot on Jan. 12 against the Florida Panthers; Ceci has been out since Feb. 5, when he sprained his ankle against the New York Rangers.
Both are expected back before the end of the regular season. It’s not yet clear when Mikheyev might return.
“It’s a tough time to be out, for sure,” Rielly said of watching as the Leafs battle for a playoff spot. “You never enjoyable watching, but in a crucial point in the season when every game is so important, it just becomes that much more difficult.
“There’s no real timeline so it’s hard to judge when (his return) will be, but I’d like to come back and play before time runs out and get some games in before playoffs.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Muzzin’s new contract reportedly includes more than $16 million US in signing bonuses. “He adds a lot for us so we’re thrilled to have him for what he brings on the ice and off,” Dubas said of signing Muzzin through the 2023-24 season … The Leafs retained $1.1 million in goalie Robin Lehner’s salary in the three-team trade involving Chicago and Vegas that saw Lehner wind up with the Golden Knights. In turn, the Leafs got a fifth-round pick in 2020 from Vegas … Captain John Tavares on the Leafs’ level of desperation: “Playoffs for us have started. That has to be where our mindset is.” We would hate to point out, then, that based on the past nine days, the Leafs are trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven … The Leafs recalled defenceman Kevin Gravel from the Toronto Marlies, Gravel practised, and he was sent back to the Marlies later in the day … Trade talks between the Leafs and Colorado Avalanche started not long after goalie Michael Hutchinson passed through waivers recently. Getting Rosen, who went to Colorado in the trade with Nazem Kadri last summer, pleased Dubas. “We didn’t really want to give him up in the first deal,” Dubas said. “He knows what we’re all about, he hasn’t been gone for very long, so it’s good.”
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