Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Partners: Seeing Stars
By Marcel Dumas
With the trade deadline sitting just a little over a month away, all the chatter about player movement is beginning to pick up. The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be a major player during this time with the way their current roster is structured.
Over the next few weeks we will be looking at what teams make the most sense to be dealing with and why. First on the list is the Dallas Stars.
The Dallas Stars are a team capable of going for it this year, and are in position to be a serious contender for the foreseeable future. Their greatest strength is their offensive capabilities, but they have two glaring needs.
The Stars are lacking in the physical toughness part of the game that always goes up a few notches come playoff time. Jamie Benn is arguably the best power forward in the game, but on a whole, the team does not bring a physical edge to their game.
They also are in need of another solid defender. While their defense has improved this year, it is still the part of the team that is short of where they want to be. The Stars have several young defensemen who look capable of making the jump over the next few seasons, but at this time they are not far along enough to make the impact needed.
These are two areas where Toronto can possibly help. There are a few potential scenarios that could net Dallas some blueline and physicality help while continuing Toronto’s rebuild path.
Roman Polak could be a cheap option for the Stars to take on. He could add a physical element on their third pairing while also taking on some minutes on the penalty kill.
For Dallas this would give them someone who dishes out some hits and eats up a steady amount of defensive zone ice time. Where he may give the Stars the biggest lift is clearing the front of the net of offensive players on the penalty kill.
With his low cap hit and unrestricted status at the end of the season, many feel Toronto could ask for a second round pick in return. While this is a very plausible scenario, the Maple Leafs may want to try and get one of the young defensemen in the Stars prospect ranks.
Dallas has a stockpile of young defensemen to choose from. Polak alone is not enough to pry a Julius Honka or Esa Lindell from the Stars as they are considered future top 4 guys. A more reasonable trade could be Polak for Patrick Nemeth and a conditional 4th rounder. Polak for Jamie Oleksiak with some picks swapped is another thought depending on where the Stars see Oleksiak fitting in for them.
Both are in their early twenties heading toward their prime years. Both have NHL games under their belt, but both have yet to make a claim to a position in the Stars three pairings.
Nemeth was a second round pick, and Oleksiak is a former first rounder. While this may seem like too large of a return for Polak, consideration must be taken for the amount of defensemen who are on the cusp of making the Stars. With a glut of young defensemen, Dallas is going to have to make a decision soon as there are not enough spots to go around.
There have been rumors over the last year that Dion Phaneuf was of interest for the Stars. While Dion would make a good addition to their squad, Toronto would have to take back some player with significant salary and term in the deal. This is more for the coming years when Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin need new deals, rather than current cap limitations for the Stars.
While it remains a possibility, Phaneuf to Dallas may be more remote and would require multiple pieces coming back to Toronto. Potentially a Lindell, a 3rd rounder and a salary like Ales Hemsky might make sense.
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No matter who a deal would involve, there are definite needs that can be filled by both teams if the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars were to get together on a trade leading up to the deadline. Dallas needs some NHL level help for the upcoming playoff run while Toronto could use any one of a number of young blueliners currently at the Stars disposal.