from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,
So even if the Leafs win Wednesday in Detroit against the Red Wings and beat the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday to keep the heady feelings going into the all-star break, there is little chance general manager Lou Lamoriello is going to dive into the trade market before the Feb. 28 deadline – despite all the talk about St. Louis Blues defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk.
The leg injury to Morgan Rielly, who missed his third game on Monday and is not expected to play until after the break, made it clear the Leafs are not ready to make the jump their fans would love to see.
Yes, they are 11 points ahead of last season at this point and on pace to make the playoffs. But no one should lose sight of the fact this is still early in the team’s rebuilding plan (they were 30th in the standings last season).
Jumping into the trade or free-agent market would be foolish. NHL general managers like to say there are two occasions when teams overpay for players: at the trade deadline and on free-agent day. That’s why only teams that are one or two players away from making serious noise in the playoffs should participate in those markets.
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