Kyle Dubas really thinks this Toronto Maple Leafs group can get it done.
At least, that's what he telegraphed when he mortgaged a healthy chunk of Toronto's future on acquiring St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly and centreman Noel Acciari on Friday night in a three-way deal that also involved the Minnesota Wild.
Dubas had to do a lot of financial gymnastics to pull this off — the cap-strapped Leafs weren't anybody's guess for the team who would absorb a struggling O'Reilly's $7.5 million cap hit.
But Toronto got St. Louis to retain 50% of O'Reilly's salary, and then convinced Minnesota to take another 25%. All it took was a first-round pick. And a second-rounder, and a third-rounder, and a fourth-rounder.
It's a lot of draft capital for another former captain who maybe hasn't been aging as gracefully as John Tavares — O'Reilly has only put up 19 points in 40 games this year.
But the Clinton, Ont., native is still a force in the faceoff circle, and his playmaking, defensive instincts and leadership qualities will all lend themselves nicely to a Toronto squad that badly wants to make a deep push this year.
And while the Maple Leafs only have a fifth-rounder and a sixth-rounder in this year's draft, they've still got their first in 2024, and almost all of their picks in 2025 (save for the fourth they just sent to Minnesota). Dubas might not be done yet.
Here's what the hockey world thought about the trade:
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