The Maple Leafs made moves involving defencemen on Monday, but they weren’t necessarily what most members of Leafs Nation were thinking about.
Before the National Hockey League trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. EST, the Leafs acquired Calle Rosen from the Colorado Avalanche, sending goalie Michael Hutchinson to the Western Conference club in exchange.
Minutes after the deadline came and went, the Leafs announced a new contract for Jake Muzzin, who has been signed for four years with an annual average value of $5.625-million US. That was expected and had been in the works for weeks.
But general manager Kyle Dubas wasn’t able to find a trade partner for Tyson Barrie, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and has not played overly well since being acquired from the Avs last summer.
The Leafs reportedly were looking for a first-round pick and prospects in return. Prior to Monday, Dubas acquired forward Denis Malgin from the Florida Panthers and goalie Jack Campbell and forward Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings.
The Leafs on Monday lost forward Dmytro Timashov, who was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Red Wings. Toronto also recalled defenceman Kevin Gravel from the Toronto Marlies. While the Leafs in a perfect world would have added a defenceman or two, they will go forward with the team as it is and try to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Leafs are in third place in the Atlantic Division with 72 points, two ahead of the Panthers. Florida has one game in hand.
“It’s nice to get past (the deadline),” coach Sheldon Keefe said after practice on Monday.
“Regardless of what level I’ve been at, it’s always nice once you’re through that and know what your group is.”
“It provides some clarity for the players, not that I think many of our guys were too concerned about it,” he added.
The Leafs visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday before taking on the Panthers on Thursday to finish a swing through Florida.
Rosen was traded by the Leafs to Colorado last summer, along with centre Nazem Kadri, for forward Alex Kerfoot and Barrie. Keefe said Rosen would report to the Marlies, but beyond that, did not know of any plans to bring him up to the Leafs.
In eight games with the Avs, Rosen, originally signed by the Leafs in May 2017, had two assists. In 35 games with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League, Rosen had three goals and 12 assists.
The 26-year-old Rosen played in eight games with the Leafs during two seasons before he was traded on July 1. In 2018, Rosen was a key piece on the Toronto Marlies team that won the Calder Cup. Rosen has an annual average salary of $750,000 US through the end of the 2020-21 season.
It’s a fresh start for Hutchinson, who mostly struggled through 15 games with the Leafs this season and became an afterthought when Campbell was acquired on Feb. 5.
As for Barrie, teams such as Vegas, Calgary and Carolina were said to have shown an interest in the 28-year-old.
Before the Leafs practised on Monday, three injured players — defencemen Morgan Rielly (foot) and Cody Ceci (ankle) and forward Ilya Mikheyev (wrist) — skated at the Ford Performance Centre. None are close to returning, though Rielly and Ceci are expected back before the end of the regular season.
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