Leafs finally start selling with Nicolas Roy trade
Really, Brad Treliving had no choice. After the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager watched his team play some of its worst hockey of the season coming out of the Olympic break, going 0-3-2 and further entrenching its position near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, he was left with no feasible option other than becoming a seller ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.
On Thursday, Treliving made the first of presumably multiple “win-later” trades by sending center Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche for conditional first- and fifth-round draft picks. That kind of return has to be considered a win for the Leafs, who acquired Roy as part of the sign-and-trade that sent Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton gave their knee-jerk reactions to the Leafs’ first move of trade deadline season.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Anybody who told you this was going to be a buyer’s market is a stone-cold liar. This is a seller’s market. Nicolas Roy, one more year on his deal at $3 million, this is a third or fourth line center. He’s landing a first-round pick and another asset. Your first reaction to Colorado beefing up down the middle by going with Nic Roy.
Carter Hutton: It’s surprising, in a sense. But then if you’re Colorado, this is kind of it. It’s going to be interesting to see how this adds to their bottom six, a little bit more depth and size. It’s been a disappointing year for him in Toronto, that’s probably the easiest way to put it when you think about Nicolas Roy. But this is a good move for him. Then you look at what happens now for the Leafs, and is it no holds barred now? Is anyone going to be in play? I think it’s something people have been waiting for. I had a chance to chat with Zach Phillips this morning about a caller calling in and saying Treliving couldn’t manage a Dairy Queen, it’s been so bad. Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction.
You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Thursday’s episode here…