Feb 25, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo (32) reacts after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Conventional wisdom says the Toronto Maple Leafs should go for it.
With about the luckiest rebuild possible, the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted three consecutive likely super-star players to put alongside a cast excellent vets on cheap contracts and in their prime. Komarov, Kadri, Van Riensdye, Bozak and Gardiner.
They traded for Freddie Andersen and Boom! Instant contender.
I have written many times about unique opportunity to go for it immediately by taking advantage of the multiple entry level contracts and cap room they have.
But what about an alternative scenario. One where the Leafs maintain their patience in order to eventually build a power-house?
A Choice Looms
The Leafs have an excess of wingers. JVR, Leipsic, Brown, Leivo, Hyman, Nylander, Marner, Kapanen, Rychel, Marner, Komarov, Soshnikov, Timashov, Johnson and more.
Now, they can move out their young players – with the risk that they move the wrong ones – to keep established players and try and compete sooner rather than later.
But a smart move might be to take a step back in order to take a step forward.
I think we can all agree that the core of the Toronto Maple Leafs is William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly, Nikita Zaitsev and Auston Matthews. Might as well throw Freddie in their too.
If the Leafs want to, they can add Connor Brown, Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapenan to that list.
Or maybe those guys are trade bait. I hope not, but not everyone can stay.
In the short term, it’s best to use the cap hit and the ELCs and add right now.
But long term? The Leafs could have a chance for something really special if they have the guts to take a step back right now.
Here’s what I’d do:
Have the Best Centre Depth in the NHL:
There is no doubt that Auston Matthews is going to be one of the best players in the NHL. He pretty much already is. But both Nylander and Marner possess the potential to be close to as good.
All three are good enough to carry other players. So instead of wasting them on a single line or two, the Leafs should convert both Nylander and Marner into centres and give them each their own line.
Apr 4, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) skates against the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre. Washington defeated Toronto 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
Both played centre in the minors and most of their life before joining the NHL. Doing this would give the Leafs an edge over ever single team in the NHL.
All three will make the players they play with better. The Leafs will have 3 x #1 centres and it will be extremely hard for other teams to cover them. If you have Auston Matthews, you don’t need a defensive centre – you just put him out against the other team’s best line every game, whenever you can. In the future, the Leafs won’t need Kadri to shadow McDavid, they’ll just put Matthews out against him.
Which means…..
Trading Kadri and Friends:
Where the Toronto Maple Leafs to go down this path, Zazem Kadri would fetch a huge return.
He is on a contract that has a very team-friendly cap-hit. He is a great two-way player, and he has untapped offensive potential. For a team on the verge of competing, he’d be a great addition. He’d be one of the only #1 centres available this summer.
The Leafs could get a ton for Kadri.
Apr 19, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri (43) heads up ice against the Washington Capitals in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Washington defeated Toronto 5-4. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
Then there is James van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov. Draft picks, young defenseman, wingers….any kinds of assets which can be used in the future.
It would suck to see these guys go, but imagine the collection of assets they’d bring back. Kadri, JVR and Gardiner – all of whom are made even more valuable because of their team friendly deals – would bring back the Leafs multiple high-end picks and players.
To add into what they already have, they’d have one of the best young teams ever assembled.
Line-Up:
If the Leafs elected to go with an extended rebuild, the chance at winning a Stanley Cup might be pushed back a couple years, but the odds of it actually happening eventually would, I think, increase significantly. (Note: I am going to assume if they do this they’ll be more apt to bring back veteran leaders Bolyle and Hunwick).
Here is what their lineup might look like with their tradable assets removed:
As you can see, that isn’t half bad anyway. Those who can’t thrive in the NHL, can be sent down and replaced, and the Leafs – even with moving Komarov, JVR, Kadri and Bozak – can still ice a pretty excellent group of forwards.
on defense:
Rielly – Zaitsev
Rosen – Carrick
Dermott – Hunwick
It’s naive to say that a team losing Kadri, Gardiner et. al. isn’t going to be effected, but this really isn’t a bad team. If you factor in what the return on those players will be, the Leafs could probably still make the Playoffs next year after doing it.
C’est une Conclusion:
When I started writing this, it was just an exercise. You know, just something fun to think about and which would make an entertaining article. The thing of it is though, I think I’ve actually convinced myself.
Looking at it logically, in order to even use the cap room they have next year (which is the second-last year where Marner and Matthews will be cheap) the Leafs would have to spend it on less than desirable UFAs or trade futures and youth for veteran help.
Loading up while the cap space is there and the Kids are cheap might be harder than it looks. Then, after that, especially if you don’t win, you’re looking at signing the three big guys and having to move out a bunch of aging vets. It’s a process the Blackhawks have kept repeating, and it’s been successful for them, but patience can really be the Leafs friend here.
If they are going to move Kadri and company, they will be getting younger and they’ll have more cap room. They already have over 20 million to spend. They could sell this off to teams in cap trouble as they continue to add assets.
No one in Toronto thought the rebuild would go this fast. So why rush it now? If you include Kapanen and Rielly, the Leafs have five amazing, high-end players , four of whom are 21 or less.
If they were move Kadri, Gardiner and van Riemsdyk, that number could climb as high as eight. Add that to Zaitsev, Brown, Hyman and maybe Bracco and Dermott……
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to have a great team for years, but a little patience could let them dominate the league for years to come.
