TheLeafsNation Top 25 of 2020: #10 — Found money makes the Leafs an incredibly boring trade deadline team

Found money makes the Leafs an incredibly boring trade deadline team

The bottom line is, with the way Toronto has unearthed meaningful depth in their lineup through some found money and an enhanced trust in the Marlies, there’s just nothing they can really do. Get another depth forward? Johnsson is returning from injury, and Mikheyev will too eventually. Then there’s players like Engvall, Timashov, and Marchment who were all added to the mix since the team was initially picked out of camp. Is there really a clear upgrade on those options out there, especially with the way Toronto’s new deployment scheme vacuums up some of the fourth line’s minutes and leans more heavily on the stars at the top of the roster? I don’t really see it.

I would think this is it for the forwards. What we’re seeing now is what we’re getting from here on, save for injuries and guys returning and some minor shuffling.

Now, there’s always been an argument that Dubas has needs on the blue line and in net, but even those are getting flimsier now with the team forming its identity and settling into a style they’re comfortable with.

The backup goaltending is really the only area that still has a concerning level of uncertainty around it, and not necessarily because of Hutchinson’s struggles anymore. He’s managed to finally break into getting a few wins under his belt, so things are looking up there. The problem now appears to more Andersen-related.