What the Maple Leafs must do ahead of the trade deadline

Perhaps Saturday's 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins excited the Toronto Maple Leafs. Still, their performance does not justify buying for the sake of buying at the trade deadline, which is set for 3 p.m. ET on March 6.

Entering December, the race to make the playoffs remains open. The smartest thing is to avoid throwing away picks and prospects for a high-risk blockbuster.

Toronto has already learned the cost: scarce assets, holes in the pipeline, and short-term improvements that didn't fix structural problems. The best thing it can do is sell wisely and trust the players already on the roster and those knocking on the door.

First of all, the market will favor sellers, so any potential purchase will not be easy for the Maple Leafs. Overpaying at this point would only complicate any potential summer operation.

A lack of depth is not something Toronto can complain about. It has a wide range of prospects who have left a good impression when tested.

How the Maple Leafs should approach the market

The plan should be to swap one roster piece for another and add cheap depth to keep the cap in check and look to turn spare parts into value. If another club inquires about a middle-six winger on a burdensome contract, be open to retaining salary for a draft pick — provided a young player is ready for that opportunity.

Toronto must give Nick Robertson and Jacob Quillan stable ice time, and at the same time, integrate a defensive prospect like Henry Thrun or William Villeneuve into the third pair. It is a logical path to staying competitive.

It would be ideal to trust the fourth-line forwards who fulfill their role and improve five-on-five play without turning every shift into chaos and to look for a third-line center who contributes on both offense and defense. However, they will need to get him through a balanced trade, not to buy just for the sake of buying. And if a good offer arrives for a veteran defenseman, they should listen.

If Toronto gets hot and leads the division with sustainable metrics, it should not fix what isn't broken. But while the race is tight, the intelligent strategy is simple. Less glamour, more depth. Less spending, more control.