Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours. The NHL trade deadline is just days away and there is a lot of business to get done for many teams. The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of assets on standby in the event of an inevitable trade. It’s a good time to review the type of assets the Maple Leafs are ready to use ahead of this upcoming trade deadline. There are two categories of assets for the Maple Leafs organization. There are the roster players that are available for trade and there are the futures.
On TSN’s Insider Trading, Darren Dreger suggested the Maple Leafs will have to move money out at the deadline. According to PuckPedia, Toronto is right at the cap line with just over $100K in salary cap space. Therefore, to upgrade their roster they’ll likely have to move contracts. Here are four roster players who could be used as assets ahead of the trade deadline.
Toronto’s Available Roster Players
Nicholas Robertson
Nick Robertson came into this season with high expectations and lots of excitement around him. He was lights out for Toronto during the preseason but fell off once the regular season began. Robertson has had multiple point droughts throughout the season, one going as long as 12 games without getting on the scoresheet. However, in the last five games, he’s put up five points, including two, two-point games.
In the offseason, Robertson requested a trade out of Toronto because of his lack of playing time. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much of a market for him at the time and he was never moved. He’s spent most of his time on the Leafs’ third line, often with Max Domi and Bobby MacMann. The 23-year-old has had spurts of quality this campaign, improving on his forechecking game and physicality. His heavy shot continues to be his strength.
Robertson is valuable to the Leafs because of how cheap his contract is. He earns just $875K against the salary cap, which is a great contract for the team. The reason that he’s a potential and available asset for the Maple Leafs to use at the deadline is because of the inconsistency of his offensive production. The St. Louis Blues and Utah HC would be great destinations for him and those teams given his age.
Max Domi
Domi has been one of the most underperforming players for Toronto this season. At one point this season, he went 16 games without a point and it took him 23 games to score his first goal of the campaign. There was a lot of hope for Domi coming into this season after some solid performances in last season’s playoffs. He scored four points in their first-round, seven-game series against the Boston Bruins.
So far this season, Domi has four goals and 20 helpers for 24 points in 53 games. He has fewer goals than Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz, Pontus Holmberg, Robertson, and McMann. Those are all players that earn at least $2 million less than Domi does. Not to mention most of those players average less time on ice and some have played fewer games, too. There’s still plenty of time for the 30-year-old to improve. However, he’s playing to his standards and eats a notable chunk of the salary cap.
David Kampf
Kampf is an asset for the Maple Leafs to trade away, simply because of his contract. The Czech native is in the second year of a four-year commitment and earns $2.4 million. While Kampf certainly can play a role on a Stanley Cup-winning team, his annual price holds the team back from improving throughout the lineup. The 30-year-old is a responsible forward who perfectly fills the fourth-line centre role. He is the second-best penalty killer on the team behind Mitch Marner and is solid in the face-off dot.
While it would be tough to move on from Kampf given his role in the team, it’s easy to find bottom-six centres at a cheaper price. Furthermore, Kampf can’t create offence for himself and there might be another player out there in his role who can. Therefore, general manager Brad Treliving may find a purpose to move him. Kampf may find himself on another contender, but that could mean potential retention from the Maple Leafs.
Bobby McMann
It’s unlikely that McMann will be on a team that isn’t the Maple Leafs after the deadline. However, Nick Kypreos of the Toronto Star came up with a mock trade to acquire Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen is such a valuable player and the Carolina Hurricanes are a team looking to win now. Therefore, the Leafs would have to provide an effective roster player, among other assets. While avoiding trading Matthew Knies, McMann would be the next best bet.
However, do not expect Treliving to experiment with McMann on the trade market. He is a valuable player for the Maple Leafs especially for the upcoming playoffs. The 28-year-old left winger is having a career year in the NHL. He’s scored 17 goals and 27 points in 53 games this season. Not to mention he’s another player on a team-friendly deal, making $1.35 million for this year and the next.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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