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Toronto Maple Leafs: Potential Trade Chips

By James Tanner|
TORONTO , ON- APRIL 15 - Marlies April 15 Toronto Marlies Tim Liljegren goes to the net against the Belleville Senators in the second at the Ricoh Centre on Sunday. April 15, 2018. (Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO , ON- APRIL 15 - Marlies April 15 Toronto Marlies Tim Liljegren goes to the net against the Belleville Senators in the second at the Ricoh Centre on Sunday. April 15, 2018. (Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
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TORONTO, ON – JULY 1: The jersey of John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, hangs in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dressing room, after Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at the Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JULY 1: The jersey of John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, hangs in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dressing room, after Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at the Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the verge of being one of the best teams in the NHL.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs added Jonathan Tavares on July 1st, it settled the argument about whether or not the Leafs are going for it now or still rebuilding.

While the Leafs have put together a core that should allow them to compete for years, (Matthews, Tavares, Rielly, Andersen, Marner and Nylander) certain factors make the 2018-19 season likely the best chance they’ll ever have.  Here’s why:

  • Matthews and Marner remain on Entry-Level Contracts, meaning they are dirt-cheap compared to their actual value.  This means that the 2018-19 season will be the best for the Leafs in terms of how many good players they can fit in under the Salary Cap.
  • Tavares isn’t getting younger and Matthews is just entering his prime.  The combination will be solid for years, but it’s likely that it peaks over the next few seasons. If there is a three year window when the combo of Tavares and Matthews will be at its best, then it makes sense that out of those three years,  the year where Matthews is still on his ELC is the best year of all, due to the cap-space issue.
  • Tavares, Gardiner, Rielly, Kadri, Andersen, are all in their primes.
  • Carrick, Dermott, Brown, Hyman, Johnsson and Kapanen are all offering very nice value vs their cap hits..
  • Cap Space
  • Assets not on the NHL roster available for trade.

When you combine all of these factors, it’s clear that the upcoming season is one in which the Leafs are blessed with a once-in-a-life-time situation that they obviously can’t pass up.

This doesn’t mean they blow the doors off their ability to compete long-term, it just means that they have an unusually good chance next season, one where all the factors are aligning in their favor, and they are going to need to take advantage of that fact.

This means that they are unlikely to enter the season (or at least the playoffs) with their current roster.  The Leafs lack toughness, they lack a power-forward, they lack an elite defensive forward and the right side of their blue-line could use a massive upgrade.

But to get you’ve got to give.  Here is a list of the Toronto Maple Leafs most tradable assets:

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