The Finished Product:
I set out to turn the Toronto Maple Leafs into the best team in the NHL. Here is what I accomplished as the team’s fake GM over the fictitious summer of 17.
Hyman – Matthews – Marner
van Riemsdyk – Nylander – Kapanen
Kovalchuck – Kadri – Brown
Jarnkrok- Thornton – Leivo
Rielly – Shattenkirk
Gardiner – Franson
Marincin – Zaitsev
Andersen
This assumes I have signed Connor Brown and Zach Hyman as restricted free-agents. If even one of Matt Martin and Eric Fehr can be traded in someway to get rid of their cap-hit, then this team would be cap-compliant. If the cap goes up, like it’s expected to, then it’s already good.
I don’t think there can be any doubt that if that team was actually assembled, that it would be – by far – the best team in hockey.
Realistically……
Obviously this isn’t going to happen. The Leafs have an outside chance of getting one of Kovalchuk or Thornton, but not both. I don’t know any team that would want to put nine or ten million dollars into their fourth line.
I remain skeptical on whether or not signing Kevin Shattenkirk is a good long-term move.
But what this shows – or at least what I hope it does – is the kind of position the Toronto Maple Leafs finds themselves in. That is to say that they have a ton of cap-space, they have a whole bunch of assets they can use to try and get better and they already have a good team.
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They don’t really have to break the bank, or abandon their current philosophy of slow, smart building. This just shows that with a little creativity, the Leafs are flooded with options.
Even if given ultimate control, I don’t really think I’d be this rash.
All I really want to do is point out that with some semi-realistic trades and signings, the Leafs are capable – should they choose to – of absolutely stacking their team this summer.