If Patrik Laine goes to the Maple Leafs, who leaves?

Some Maple Leafs fans are discussing the possibility of Patrik Laine coming to Toronto, and there’s one thing that really stands out. Most of the discussion isn’t about whether Laine can still score. It’s about whether the team actually has a place for him. And that’s a pretty important distinction.

Here’s what Maple Leafs fans said about bringing in Patrik Laine

One fan asked the obvious question: If Laine comes in, who comes out? Jack Roslovic? Easton Cowan? Colton Sissons? Nick Paul? That’s the problem with adding another recognizable forward to a roster that already has a pretty clearly defined structure. Somebody has to lose ice time, move down the lineup or, potentially, get moved somewhere else. That’s where the Laine discussion gets interesting.

Would Laine work if he were used almost entirely for offense? Put him with the better players, give him offensive-zone starts and let him play on the power play. That sounds simple enough. But hockey rarely works that way.

If Laine isn’t scoring, what else is he giving you? That’s the question that seems to bother a lot of Maple Leafs fans. Toronto has spent a lot of time this offseason trying to build a team with more depth, more responsibility and, presumably, fewer passengers.

You would be betting that the scoring ability is still in there somewhere and that the Maple Leafs could put him in a situation where he doesn’t have to do everything else. Could Laine’s defensive problems make him a real liability if he isn’t producing? That’s probably the extreme end of the argument, but there is a legitimate point buried in it.