The Toronto Maple Leafs are almost certainly heading toward a retool with the way their season has gone. They entered Thursday night’s matchup against the Seattle Kraken in last place in the Atlantic Division and 10 points back of the second wild card spot. It’d take a run of epic proportions to overcome their deficit and make the playoffs. The last thing most people are thinking about is the Maple Leafs possibly acquiring Artemi Panarin in a trade.
There is still one Maple Leafs analyst who is holding out hope that Toronto doesn’t need to retool. TSN’s Bryan Hayes claimed on Thursday’s edition of Overdrive that Toronto should look into acquiring Panarin to play on the wing with Auston Matthews. While it would even further deplete the team’s depth, Hayes thinks that keeping the captain happy with a superstar linemate is the way to go.
It feels like it’ll be too late for the Maple Leafs to turn this season around, but signing Panarin to an extension will give Matthews reason to believe that the organization is doing everything it can to contend. A failed retool would likely spell the end of the Matthews era in Toronto, as his contract ends at the conclusion of the 2027-28 season.
If Toronto doesn’t think a retool is going to be enough to fix the group, trading one of their superstars might be their path to figuring things out. It would signal a longer rebuild than expected, but it’s possible that the core group they currently have just isn’t capable of getting the job done.
Artemi Panarin Gives Auston Matthews His Lost Winger
It’d be ironic for Matthews to unite with Panarin on the Maple Leafs’ first line, given last offseason’s events. The captain had Mitch Marner on his flank for the majority of his Toronto career. Still, after the relationship between him and the organization soured, the winger left for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Matthews is in the middle of a bounce-back season, but his lack of offensive help around him is evident. William Nylander is the closest Matthews will get to having Marner there, but putting the two stars together craters the team’s forward depth. Adding Panarin could reinvigorate the one-two punch with Matthews and the Russian star on the first line, and Nylander and ex-captain John Tavares on the second line.
Maple Leafs fans will say that Panarin alone isn’t enough to turn the ship around. It’s likely correct, but it’s also tough to punt on the season after so many years of regular season success and a core they built to bring the team its first Stanley Cup since 1967.
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