The Leafs do have a window, this year they will in theory have vets they won't have next year. Sometimes you just let a player walk and get the experience.
Bad teams unload at the deadline and we're just not that bad of a team.
You can also collect assets this year and play guys like Kapanen Leivo Soshnikov after the TDL to set up next season with the bonus of having the assets required to fill the major holes in the off-season
A mini re-tool if you will