When the Leafs traded 22-year-old defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, it stunned many within Leafs Nation who viewed Sandin as one of the Leafs' cornerstone players on defense. When the trade was announced, many around the fanbase wondering what was coming back. Was it a star winger? Another impact player? Well, in the end, it was simply a depth defenseman and a draft pick.
The pick the Leafs got back in the deal was Boston's 1st round pick in the 2023 NHL draft, which is set to take place in Nashville this June. This was an important piece for Dubas to get back, considering that he had already traded a pair of 1st round picks in the Ryan O'Reilly and Jake McCabe deals.
Some had speculated that Dubas was going to package Boston's 1st rounder in a deadline deal for a a scoring forward. When the deadline came and went with the Leafs retaining the pick, it left many wondering what the Leafs' plans were. Would they keep the pick and use it on a top player in the draft? Will they trade it this summer at some point to help bring in another piece with term to help the team win both now and in the future? Well, Dubas is keeping his options open.
Dubas revealed on Friday during his post deadline press conference that he viewed the pick as an important asset. He did mention that the Leafs could look to use it to bring in a good prospect in the 1st round of the draft, but he also alluded to using that pick to swing a trade on the draft floor.
Usually, when a GM talks about being open to trading a 1st round draft pick, they're not looking for a minor piece. Could Dubas be tipping his hand here? Could he look to acquire another impact player from another team in a draft floor trade? It seems entirely possible. Of course, with all of the picks Dubas has traded this year, he could also trade the pick to move down a few spots in the draft to bring back another pick, say a high 2nd rounder and a 3rd or 4th round pick to help gain some additional draft capital. Only time will tell.
