Easton Cowan isn't going anywhere for a blue line band-aid, and the Maple Leafs may have to wait well past October for real help.
Michael Augello laid it out on The Leafs Convo, and last night's 4-1 home loss to the Islanders only sharpened his point.
“In-season, folks, it's going to be tough to improve that blue line without giving up significant assets,” Augello said.
He pointed to Elliotte Friedman's reporting. It doesn't sound like Toronto will part with Cowan or prospect Ben Danford unless a true difference-maker comes back.
“And you're not going to get a difference-maker on the blue line in October,” Augello added. “It's just not going to happen.”
He's right, and the Leafs are right to hold the line. Cowan makes $900,000 and already owns two game-winning goals.
Flipping that for a second-pair rental would be a bad trade the day it's made.
Morgan Rielly and a leaky Toronto defense can't wait forever
The problem is the goals against. Toronto has allowed 32 through nine games and sits last in the Atlantic.
Morgan Rielly has gone minus-4 over his last five games. Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have yet to register a point.
Chris Tanev is still on injured reserve, which leaves Darren Raddysh and his $8,500,000 cap hit carrying a bigger load.
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The goaltending hasn't covered for it. Anthony Stolarz sits at .875, with Sergei Bobrovsky at .891.
Shopping for a top-pair defenseman in October is like house hunting right after everyone signed their leases. The good units simply aren't on the market yet.
Calgary's Zach Whitecloud is the type of name that keeps surfacing. At a $2,750,000 cap hit, he'd slide into this lineup without wrecking the cap.
The Flames, sitting at 1-6-0, would likely ask for Cowan in return.
That's a price the Leafs probably aren't ready to pay, especially for a defenseman who's gone minus-5 without a point.
So what does management do in the meantime? Mostly wait, and hope Jim Hiller can squeeze more structure out of the group he has.
That patience has a price. The Leafs are 3-4-2, and the standings don't care whether the right defenseman shows up in January.
San Jose visits Monday, one of the few spots on the schedule that looks like a real chance to stop the slide.
Toronto can protect its young assets or protect its season. Right now, the front office is betting it can still do both, and that bet gets riskier with every loss.
Should the Maple Leafs trade Easton Cowan for a difference-maker on defense?
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