The og version of this trade inluded Nikishin in place of Morrow and no 1st round pick. After thinking about it I don't believe Carolina would be willing to part with Nikishin in hopes that he signs with them after his time in Russia. Morrow has been very successful in the NCAA and has tons of upside potential. To make up for the difference between him and Nikishin I felt the 1st rounder was required. Necas is there to fill the spot on the right and with a chance to learn from the offensive talent in Toronto he'll become a very adequate replacement. Martinook provides the Leafs with what many feel they need which is grit. He's also capable of providing points in clutch moments which will benefit Toronto. The last piece of this trade is the cap space. It's been a minute since Toronto has had solid cap relief and they could really use it to bring back some depth pieces and maybe improve upon the goaltending situation.

Defensive depth and for my soul I wanted him back on this team.

Originally I wanted to go after Brock Boeser, however it was brought to my attention that the market on him had gone up more than I had initially thought. So the next logical option was to go after some cheaper options. I chose to trade for Kailer Yamamoto. He's cheaper than Boeser with less upside but still has decent potential under the right structure. Next step was to sign Noel Acciari. He's very solid on the 4th line and can slot in for Yamamoto if he starts to struggle to provide support.