they have underperformed heavily<\/a> and are looking like a shell of the team we saw last year.<\/p>\nRight there is a large chunk of the top players, and combined with their lack of effort lately, it’s leading to some miserable results and if things don’t pick up, a change may be on the horizon.<\/p>\n
There are four players who the Maple Leafs could send out if they really wanted to institute their ‘identity change’ and it starts with some pretty bad contracts.<\/p>\n
What the numbers reveal about Domi, Jarnkrok, Carlo and Laughton right now<\/p>\n
Right now, the numbers aren’t good. You can forgive Carlo and Laughton due to their injuries, and Jarnkrok was a scoring machine early on. But Domi has no excuse.<\/p>\n
Domi has two points in his last 10 games, a minus-5, and only 13 shots. He has barely put a puck on net from a high-danger area all year. Of his 36 shots this season, the majority are at medium or long-range.<\/p>\n
He already doesn’t shoot much, and when he does it’s been minimally effective, and paying him $3.75-million for the next few seasons is going to keep hurting Toronto the longer they keep him.<\/p>\n
He could add some offensive help to a team who might not be a contender but need a veteran presence and he plays much better against weaker opponents.<\/p>\n
Jarnkrok has not really been the offensive force he was early on, and been just as ineffective as Domi offensively with four points (all goals) and a minus-7 while also producing below average possession numbers.<\/p>\n
But his versatility and experience has kept him in the lineup, and the ability for him to play on any line, either special teams unit and do so as a center or winger? That’s enticing.<\/p>\n
He’s also cheap for a contender who needs some bottom-six depth, and it would offer him a chance to get into the playoffs late in his career.<\/p>\n
Carlo has been hurt but otherwise largely invisible so far this season, and his staunch defense that he brought last year has seemingly been neutralized somehow.<\/p>\n
He’s out of position a lot, not reading plays, and while he may be a top-four defender somewhere, in Toronto it’s feeling like a lost cause. He went from Boston’s brick wall into a sieve with the Maple Leafs — it’s been rough.<\/p>\n
Toronto could use another puck-mover and Carlo would be a great asset to trade away given his contract, but it will make Maple Leafs fans frustrated knowing what they gave up for him only months ago.<\/p>\n
Laughton may be the safest name on this list, as he’s only had a short spell to get used to the team and started the first month of the year injured. Since coming back he’s been solid and held the team together at times.<\/p>\n
He’s crushing it on the PK and his heart and grit is making people feel a bit better about what the team traded away, but he still needs to start adding some offense.<\/p>\n
For his career he has 108 goals and 269 points — it’s not like he can’t score but since he came to Toronto has four points in 24 games. Even if the team got 5-10 goals out of him it would be an improvement over others.<\/p>\n
Why moving one or more of these veterans could benefit the Maple Leafs’ long-term outlook<\/p>\n
So with all that being said, it would be best for the Maple Leafs to move on from at least a couple of these players.<\/p>\n
First and foremost, end the Max Domi experiment. He’s not good offensively or defensively enough to warrant his contract, and his on-ice play is actively hindering Toronto each night.<\/p>\n
Swapping him for even a lesser player who at least fits into their system more would be a start, and it’s about getting out from under his extravagant deal.<\/p>\n
Jarnkrok and Laughton are safer for the team’s long-term outlook at least for this season because they are so adaptable, but if the Leafs wave the white flag, then they would at least fetch something.<\/p>\n
Same goes for Carlo, but at his current contract and Toronto’s actively aging defensive group, holding onto a guy that isn’t even 30 yet would be proactive and give them at least a few more years — and he can still pick things up.<\/p>\n
A package sending Domi to a place like San Jose would give him a fresh start and play with some new fire and away from the constant chatter, and maybe bring in a gritty forward like Barclay Goodrow<\/a>.<\/p>\nPerhaps then the team can send Laughton and Jarnkrok in a package to get a puck-moving defenseman who could help solidify their backend.<\/p>\n
Whatever way you slice it, the Maple Leafs need to start acting like they are in panic mode, and sell off a couple of their bigger pieces to at least field a team that plays the way they want.<\/p>\n
Previously on Hockey Patrol<\/p>\n
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