Toronto Maple Leafs: Kyle Dubas makes smart trade at the draft

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected defenceman Rasmus Sandin 29th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, but the trade that saw them land him was a smart move by general manager Kyle Dubas.

Heading into the draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs held the 25th overall pick in the first round and had one selection in each of the other rounds.

Many people in the media believed the Leafs would land left-handed Swedish D-man Sandin with the 25th pick, addressing an area of need whilst still picking up a talented prospect with plenty of room to develop.

But just moments before the Leafs were due to pick, Dubas made a deal with the St. Louis Blues that saw them move back four spots and pick up an extra third-round selection in the process.

The 29th overall pick originally belonged to the Winnipeg Jets, with the Blues receiving the pick in the trade that sent Paul Stastny the other way.

For the Leafs, they moved back a small amount in the draft and also received an extra mid-round pick that could be used as extra trade bait on Day Two.

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Some may feel that Dubas could have gotten better value for the 25th overall pick, with the Ottawa Senators receiving a second rounder along with the 26th overall pick for their 22nd place pick.

However, a third-round pick is still fairly decent value – especially as the Leafs were picking later in the draft anyway.

The third rounder, if retained, might turn out to be a decent prospect or could be another gamble, but it at least gives the Buds some extra assets that could be used to negotiate a trade.

This could be in a package for a player or could be a way for the Leafs to trade for an extra pick in the second round, depending on how highly they rate players on their draft board.

The Leafs still managed to draft a player they were widely expected to select at 25th but were also able to get an extra pick on top of that, and this is a positive for Dubas’ first draft as the team’s full-time general manager.

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What do you think Toronto Maple Leafs fans? Are you happy to see them land Sandin and get an extra third-round pick in the process? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!