Quibbles on the quality or depth of the pool is one thing. Do the Leafs have enough coming that they can part with the best of that bunch? Can an organization that’s already thin on right defence really afford to deal Liljegren, who might be able to fill a spot for cheap next season? Same goes for Rosen, who could conceivably slide onto the third pair if Gardiner doesn’t return and Travis Dermott jumps higher in the lineup.
Moore and Grundstrom, too, could be useful sources of depth next season when things are tight around the cap.
The Leafs are in win-now mode today though, needing to maximize what the group can possibly accomplish this year. It would be hard not to push whatever chips necessary into the middle if the upgrade is real and boosts the chances of a championships during a prime year of John Tavares, Nazem Kadri, and Frederik Andersen, Gardiner’s (likely) last year in Toronto, and Marner, Matthews, Dermott and Kapanen on entry-level deals.
There’s also that window though and the need to keep it to open as long as possible and a big part of that is keeping enough stocked internally for when the roster turns over — for when Ron Hainsey potentially moves on (2019?), and when Patrick Marleau (2020) and perhaps Connor Brown (2020) and/or Zach Hyman (2021) join him after that.
“You’re right,” Dubas said when asked about maximizing possibilities during a year when Matthews and Marner are still on entry-level contracts, “we may not have the same cap space at the deadline in the future, but I think that’s where we’ll be expecting our development model and our program here and some internal development of our (own) guys.”
This is what being a GM is all about, but it’s a particularly challenging balance to strike for someone in Dubas’ position. He’s not only trying to bring the Leafs their first championship in more than 50 years, but keep them positioned to challenge for more long after that.