Monday Mailbag: It looks like we’re talking about Josh Leivo again edition

How was your weekend?

Did you fight your family over who would get the largest chicken wing? Did you take your dog to obedience school? Did you have existential dread?

Whatever you did, we hope you had fun doing it!

Anyway, here’s a mix of questions on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tottenham Hotspur football club, and a wide array of other topics.

Can we blame the inconsistency of their midfield play? Their front two of Kane and Son have done more than enough providing 30 goals combined between the two of them this season, but it seems like we’re missing the kind of set of performances we’re used to in the past from Eric Dier, Moussa Dembele and… at least from a goal-scoring perspective, Dele Alli. Blame Wembley if you want, blame a lack of impact from Pochettino’s use of substitute’s (except for Wanyama yesterday), but at the end of the day, their middle of the field needs to start creating more offence than they’ve been doing on a consistent basis.

It would be nice to think Leivo could net something useful, but really,  his trade value isn’t all that high. He’s not young: (24 turning 25), has never held a consistent roster spot, and . There’s really no use in the Leafs trading him for another roster player of the same calibre, and if they’re getting a prospect out of it,

I think it’s okay to get rid of Leivo just to let him free, even if the return isn’t all that sexy. He’s not likely to get a real spot on the roster anytime soon for an extended look. If there’s a mid-round pick offered coming the other way, it’s okay to say goodbye to Josh, and roll the dice another time around.

Where I’d look to sell would likely be a team like Columbus who’s struggling to produce offense, especially out of their bottom six. You might not get anything attractive out of it, but it’s not like Leivo’s really helping the Leafs all that much right now either.

I’ve thought about this a lot, and the biggest question I’ve always wondered is… where does the party happen in downtown Toronto? Outside the ACC? Nathan Phillips Square? Yonge-Dundas? All of the above?

Okay, definitely all of the above.

Will someone start a fire? Probably. Will someone steal at least three of the letters off the “Toronto” sign?

Probably.

It’s going to be a weird day, that’s for sure.

If Dermott’s still in the lineup tonight with Roman Polak returning, it seems like as good a sign as any that he’s surpassed Connor Carrick. Though he’s still in need of developing some parts of his game, the Leafs have some wiggle room with the standings and it appears they’re ready to let Dermott run with the bulls.

It’s probably a mistake if Dermott gets sent back down to the AHL, but at this point, what else would they be waiting for? If he hasn’t earned his spot yet, it doesn’t seem like he’s really got much more to do.

Gotta spend money to make money, right?

It’s an age-old question, but it really depends on whether the Leafs see themselves as a legitimate contender or not. “An NHL guy” who isn’t pushing the needle in a positive way doesn’t seem like something the Leafs need to acquire, but if they’re going for a run… it might be time to sell the house a little bit. We’re conditioned to be cautious, but if they find the right fit on a talented RHD… f*ck it, trade everyone and hope for the best.