TORONTO – The words were spoken by Dave Nonis back on Jan. 13, but they have never been more meaningful than right now.
“I’m not going to put odds on (making the playoffs), but I am going to say that we’re going to continue to build this team to have success for the long term,” Nonis said when the Toronto Maple Leafs opened training camp.
“And we do have some decent building blocks in place and we’re not going to blow them up in order to move one step closer.”
That philosophy is about to be put to the test.
Today the Leafs find themselves with a seven-point cushion in the Eastern Conference following a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. All that stands between the franchise and the end of an ugly nine-year playoff drought is a .500 finish over the final 14 games.
So close, yet so far.
While Nonis has always proved to be a man of his word, there’s bound to be at least a little temptation in the days leading up to the April 3 trade deadline to help things along. He’s no different than any of his colleagues in that respect.
And the Leafs have just two games left before the big day — neither of which are likely to change the immediate outlook for the team.
Staying pat seems to be the best strategy at this point, especially with the prices currently being asked around the league. Sure, the Leafs could use another defenceman (who couldn’t?), but they’re obviously not in the same position as the Penguins so it doesn’t make much sense to give up two second-round picks to get one.
The Leafs players certainly aren’t waiting to see changes. Asked what the team needs from the deadline, Lupul replied: “It depends, we’re playing pretty well right now.”
“We showed we can play with Boston the last couple games and they’re kind of the cream of the crop in the East,” added Lupul. “So that’s a positive. If there’s a chance to get better and get more experienced I’m sure Nonie will do it, but if not everyone’s pretty happy with the direction where everything’s going here.”
The Leafs certainly passed a few tests over the last week — first taking three of four points from the Bruins and then overcoming a slow start to beat the 30th-place Panthers in what was the team’s fifth game in seven nights.
The one asset that Nonis has acknowledged being in the market for is a veteran goaltender — although that hardly seems like a must buy after the recent stretch.
James Reimer has done a nice job in the No. 1 role while backup Ben Scrivens made 40 saves against the Panthers, with the only two pucks to get behind him deflecting off members of his defence.
Believe it or not, the Leafs have now improved their odds of making the playoffs to 94.1 per cent, according to sportsclubstats.com. They might not even need any extra help to get over the top at this point.
That relative success has kept serious trade speculation away the Leafs, but coach Randy Carlyle acknowledged that it’s still “a real tough stressful time” for his players.
“I know from being a former player and my name being out there, it’s uneasy for their families more than the individual,” said Carlyle. “When people get moved, families get uprooted — it’s not just the person that’s changing teams, it’s your whole support group … that’s what really makes it difficult this time of year.
“That’s part of life as a professional athlete and if you’re not prepared to deal with those situations then you’re in the wrong business.”
The Leafs are certain to get more than their fill of trade deadline talk with a four-day break in the schedule following Saturday’s visit to Ottawa. It’s inevitable.
While Pittsburgh has already started loading up and Calgary is dogged by speculation it is about to part ways with captain Jarome Iginla and Boston is feeling the heat to make a big splash, the Toronto players would be just as happy if all of the action happens elsewhere.
“The trade deadline, it kind of is what it is,” said Lupul. “There’s going to be guys’ names that are getting thrown around and most likely will not get moved.
“As you get older and go through deadline after deadline, sometimes you start to realize that it’s not quite as big a deal as everyone make it out to be.”
All signs point to that being the case in Toronto.