Maple Leafs Asleep at the Wheel, Officially Miss Out on Pair of Forwards

Despite the Bruins announcing he would be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury last week, Trent Frederic's trade value did not diminish.

As part of a three-team trade, the Bruins sent the 27-year-old Frederic and Max Jones to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2025 2nd round pick, 2026 fourth round pick and defenseman Maximus Wanner. As part of the deal, the New Jersey Devils acquired the rights to Shane LaChance for retaining 50 percent of Frederic's $2.3M salary.

The Leafs were named as a potential suitor for the energetic grinder, but it was likely going to cost them much more than it did the Oilers given that the Bruins preferred not to deal him within the division.

While the Bruins traded away a potential target for the Leafs, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they have re-signed bottom-six forward Jake Evans to a four-year deal that carries a $2.85M cap hit.

As the rest of the NHL's playoff teams continue to load up in the hopes of capturing the Stanley Cup, the Leafs and Brad Treliving continue to sit on their hands and slow-play the market. While it may work in terms of a drop in asking prices, it usually always backfires as most of the top targets get dealt early.

With three days until the deadline, fans continue to hold their breath that Treliving will pull the trigger on a sizeable deal before he comes away empty-handed.