As much as we are applauding the Toronto Maple Leafs' successful asset management during their current tear down, that’s the easy part. There’s not a lot of decision-making that comes when teams are in full-on draft pick-gathering mode. If someone offers you two second-round picks in a deal for Roman Polak, you take it.
The much, much harder decisions this time of year come at the top of the standings. As one GM put it Monday, they are weighing decisions now that may increase their percentage chances of winning a Stanley Cup this year while decreasing it three years from now.