Leafs Fans?

Would be a pretty dumb move for the Leafs. Reilly's value at the trade deadline, on a team that desperately needed defensive depth and didn't have the cap room to make a move to upgrade, was a 5th round pick. After going to Montreal, he didn't increase that value. He's a 7th defenceman on the majority of teams in the league. The 2nd rounder in 2019 doesn't do anything to move the needle either.

The only thing that's going to get any love on this trade is the fact that the Leafs are sending away Gardiner, who Leafs fans have decided that he'll be their martyr after a poor game 7.

Makes absolute zero sense for the Leafs to resign Bozak at that price. He is a defensive liability that plays, I believe, zero minutes of penalty kill time and as basically a 3rd line center, that's just unacceptable. Yes, he can win faceoffs, but that in itself should not merit $4.5 million. Instead, I would hope and expect the Leafs to go after Riley Nash. He is younger, plays way tougher, kills penalties, wins faceoffs and you could probably sign him for a $1 million cheaper. I am not sure he has much of a desire to leave Boston, but might be point is the money could be spent better elsewhere. As for the Gardiner trade, no thanks.

Gardiner had a rough playoff series and his hockey IQ and puck moving abilities are questionable. But he's still the best we have at the 2nd pairing.

I don't see Dermott as ready to take on top four responsibility and Reilly is simply a depth piece.

In all this trade only makes the defense worse for the time being.