More than half of the season is over and the Toronto Maple Leafs have some important decisions to make.
Trade deadline day is coming fast and the Toronto Maple Leafs must decide soon what to do with their upcoming UFA’s, most notably James Van Riemsdyk. Today, lets look at why the the Leafs should trade him.
His next cap hit will be too high
It’s hardly surprising but the days of JVR of having $4.25 million cap hit will be over. 60 point, 30 goal scorers aren’t the easiest to come by. Toronto’s been getting great production at a real bargain for the past few years (thanks Paul Holmgren!).
JVR’s next cap hit is rumoured to be around $6 million or more. Considering the long-term contracts his comparables have (such as T.J. Oshie receiving 8 years at 5.75m per season) that’s pretty reasonable.
The problem is that Nylander, Marner and Matthews will all need new contracts very soon. Even if Matthews, Marner and Nylander don’t make as much as we currently think, they will make a ton. $6 Million or more for a 29-year-old winger is too much for a team loaded with wingers. JVR is awesome, but as long as other needs aren’t met, he is a luxury.
Wingers are the easiest to replace
As mentioned above, the Toronto Maple Leafs are loaded with wingers. So much so that players like Kapanen who are NHL ready haven’t been called up for good yet. JVR’s goals will be missed , but there’s no reason to think Kapanen, Leivo and others (give Matthews more PP time!) can’t pick up the slack while also being better defensively.
Despite their play as of late, Toronto’s problem isn’t scoring goals, it’s preventing them.
Don’t let a valuable asset walk for nothing – or do you?
This is the most important part.
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If the Toronto Maple Leafs really can’t fit JVR into future plans, then they must trade him. This team is close to cup contention, but doesn’t appear to be there just yet if their current play continues. The next couple years are Toronto’s best bet to swing for the fences while their young players are still cheap.
Why trade JVR then? I sincerely believe that players like Kapanen and others can help right now. The potential returns from a JVR trade are more useful to the Leafs long term.
JVR is clearly the Toronto Maple Leafs most valuable UFA. . Trading him as part of a package for help on defence (if that’s doable of course) makes perfect sense. Otherwise, moving him for a 1st round pick and a good prospect helps this team in the future.
On the other hand, the Leafs wouldn’t be giving JVR away for free if they kept him past the deadline but didn’t sign him in the summer. In this situation, the team is given cap-space + whatever JVR contributed from the deadline to the end of the playoffs. This could very well end up being a greater asset to the team than whatever he fetches in a trade.
Next: Leafs Blueline in Zatisev's Absense
I don’t think so, however. I am firmly in the ‘sell JVR’ camp, but I did feel obligated to include the counter argument.
Thanks for reading.