NHL Trade Deadline 2012: Analyzing the Toronto Maple Leafs' Deadline Day

A total of 15 trades were made on Trade Deadline Day, and not one of them addressed the Toronto Maple Leafs' current organizational needs.

Leaf fans' opinions are undoubtedly split on this matter, but the Toronto print media seemed united in their disapproval.

On the cover the of Toronto Sun, in giant block letters—as per their usual sensationalist style—was the headline: "Trade Deadwhine," with an antagonistic-sounding sub-headline that implied Brian Burke cares more about players' feelings than about making the playoffs.

The hockey scribes at the major Toronto newspapers are either incapable of seeing the bigger picture or are hatemongers trying to look smart.

In any case, there was more going on than it seemed for the Leafs on Deadline Day.

Here is a look back at what happened, or didn't happen, on February 27th, why they did or didn't happen and perhaps what it all means.

Trades

To TOR: D Mark Fraser

To AHA: F Dale Mitchell

What would the NHL trade deadline be without a minor deal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks?

With all due respect to the players involved, this trade broke after most Leaf fans probably stopped paying attention. The dash for Nash was all but over and Toronto had likely quit long before the 3 p.m. deadline.

The bigger news of the day, at least for the Leafs, was the following deal:

To TOR: F Carter Ashton

To TB: D Keith Aulie

A good trade, possibly for the Lightning as well. For reasons I lay out here, Keith Aulie was an expendable player.

That's not to say he wasn't a good player. He most certainly was, and one with good potential.

However, it was a minor coup for Burke to land one of Tampa Bay's top prospects in Ashton.

Ashton is 6'3", 215 lbs. and has the potential to be a top-six power forward in the NHL.

This transaction did not make the team better in the present, but it did make its future brighter without having to subtract from the roster.

Lightning GM Steve Yzerman apparently said he wouldn't trade away his top prospects, but must have changed his mind when he found out Aulie was available.

The Goaltending Situation

Gord Miller of TSN tweeted that Brian Burke received a strong offer for James Reimer, but declined.

That would have easily been the biggest news of the day behind the non-trade of Rick Nash, bigger than the Cody Hodgson trade which, admittedly, was a shocker.

Management has shown time and again that they maintain faith in Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson despite their poor performances of late.

One sign that they still like their goalies is that they didn't try that hard to trade for goalies such as Evgeni Nabokov of the New York Islanders or Josh Harding out of Minnesota.

For better or for worse, Reimer and Gustavsson will be Leafs for the foreseeable future.

Grabovski and Co.

There was never any doubt that Mikhail Grabovski wanted and still wants to stay in Toronto. After all, he does have a girlfriend and two baby daughters.

What was in doubt, however, was whether the Leafs were willing to trade him or not.

Fortunately for the Leafs, Grabovski is still around.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Leafs actually had offers on the table for not only Grabovski, but for Clarke MacArthur, Nikolai Kulemin and Luke Schenn as well.

They could've been traded for first round picks, Dreger reported, which we can only assume means that each of them would have garnered a first round pick each.

Unless the first round picks were extremely high (think top 10), the return for the aforementioned players would not have exceeded their current value to the team.

It was wise of Burke to keep them all and it was a nice gesture of faith towards the players as well.

Grabovski will likely get around $5 million a year, so cap relief for next season will thankfully have to come from trading someone else.

Leafs Crash in the Dash for Nash

Looks like Columbus is still Nash-ville.

The Leafs, not to mention the New York Rangers and the San Jose Sharks, were unwilling to pay the steep price for Nash and therefore, Rick Nash will be a Blue Jacket for at least the next four months.

When we get to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, we'll repeat this drama all over again.

According to the man himself, Nash requested a trade out of Columbus because he believes the organization needs a rebuild and that the best way for it to do so would be to trade him.

He maintained that Howson and himself do not harbour any ill will towards each other, but all things considered, it does not look like he will be a Blue Jacket once the 2012-13 season begins.

It is entirely possible that Scott Howson will no longer be the General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets once the Draft rolls around, in which case something might happen to the asking price of Nash or even the list of teams he's willing to go to.

If the price doesn't go down, Nash-watch may not be as intense the next time around, as teams may not bother calling twice to get the same answer. If it does though, it may actually get crazier.

Get the popcorn ready.

What Does "Staying the Course" Mean?

What is this "course" that the Toronto media loves to hate?

It's simple, really. Brian Burke believes in the current group and their ability to make the playoffs this year.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Leafs are a playoff team this year. They should be considered a playoff team even if they don't make the playoffs because they are good enough to make the playoffs.

These Leafs are a good team on paper and what happens on the ice won't change that. They've had two great months, one average month and two horrible months. It is unfortunate that many folks tend to dwell on the bad while conveniently forgetting about the good.

The Aulie trade helps build for the near future. There are prospects in the system like Matt Frattin and Jesse Blacker who may finally get their opportunity to play with the Leafs full-time next year.

The course is not to trade for the sake of trading. Prices were too high (Paul Gaustad and a fourth round pick for Nashville's first round pick) while some players weren't even available.

You can't blame a general manager for not wanting to overpay.

Staying the course is fine for now.

How Will It Reflect on Burke If...

Say the Leafs miss the playoffs. Brian Burke can either fire head coach Ron Wilson or he can maintain his faith in the coach and "fire" some players instead.

How will Burke look if they miss the playoffs? I know one thing: the Toronto media will go nuts calling for his head.

If Burke fires Wilson, his own job is safe, but what if he doesn't? Then he'll look extremely bad.

The recent trade deadline will likely be a sticking point when it comes to discussions regarding Burke's competence as general manager.

Why didn't he improve the team? Why this, why that?

Here's the deal: the team is good on paper. It has one of the deepest defensive corps in the league and a couple high-octane players up front, not to mention a great supporting cast.

If the good-on-paper team doesn't perform on the ice, it should not reflect poorly on the man who acquired them. The blame should rest either with the coaches who clearly don't know how to motivate their players or the players themselves who clearly aren't trying hard enough.

It shouldn't reflect poorly on Burke if his team misses the playoffs, but a lot of people will probably blame him, at least in part, for the team's failures.

It was a good deadline for the Leafs: no impulsive trades and no selling of valuable assets.

There is still a good chance the Leafs can make it.