Under tons of pressure, Kyle Dubas looks “to take a big swing” on trade market

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won a playoff round since 2004. This can’t go on another season and general manager Kyle Dubas knows it. Without a contract extension, Dubas needs to go all in or else he’ll be going home this summer.

While fans thought at first, especially following Jake Muzzin’s injury, that the Maple Leafs were gonna go on the trade market for a defenseman, but the void up front needs to be filled and even more security in between the pipes. As Justin Bourne and Rory Boylen of Sportsnet put it: “there’s also a case to be made for why the Leafs would have more use for a second line (or at least middle six) scoring winger and would fill in a roster hole by going this route . And with Matt Murray out with an injury again, the idea of adding goalie insurance can’t be off the table.”

With so much on the line, everyone expects Dubas to pull a big move ahead of the March 3rd deadline.

“I think he would like to take a big swing, but I think what he’s trying to figure out is how on earth he can do it,” Elliotte Friedman said on The Jeff Marek Show last week. “And right now he uses the same calculator as everyone else. Unless he has a magic calculator that bends the realities of the cap, it’s going to be really hard to do. I think he’d like to do something larger, I just don’t know if he’s going to be able to do it.”

Dubas however has to make the math work. According to CapFriendly, the Leafs will have a projected $2.725 million available come deadline day. Therefore, the Maple Leafs will have to part with significant pieces in return, may that be prospect Matthew Knies or Alex Kerfoot, or Rasmus Sandin.

But this is now or never for Dubas.

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