The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a right-shot defenseman and it appears that the Carolina Hurricanes have the ideal solution.
Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes is a player that the Toronto Maple Leafs hold in high regard. Pesce profiles as a right-shot, possession driving defenseman who can skate and move the puck well.
Since Pesce entered the league in 2015-16, he is one of only three defensemen in the NHL to have over 150 takeaways and have more takeaways than giveaways. Alex Pietrangelo and Jaccob Slavin are the other two players on that short list.
Pesce represents a luxury for the Hurricanes who have an excess of right-shot defensemen (four in their defensive top six) and could fill an area of need for the Leafs, as Nikita Zaitsev is currently the only right-shot defenseman in the Leafs top six.
Zaitsev has also struggled lately and he is likely to be moved before the February 25th trade deadline in an effort to shed salary and avoid triggering his modified no-trade clause on July 1st. Pesce would be a considerable upgrade in Zaitsev’s spot in the top four, as this side-by-side comparison shows.
Dougie Hamilton and Justin Faulk also serve as alternative right-shot defensive solutions from the Hurricanes. However their contracts (both with a higher AAV than Pesce) could present challenges for the Leafs cap next season. Also Hamilton is an elite player unlikely to be moved, and Faulk is an offensive-minded defensemen, which the Leafs have plenty of already. Pesce figures to be the steady defensive presence that the Leafs are looking for.
While Dubas held court with Toronto media, other members of Leafs management attended the Canes/Flames game last night. Toronto continues to scout Carolina’s available D.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) January 23, 2019
The Price Tag
In return for Pesce, the Hurricanes would likely want to address their most immediate need, which is scoring. Scoring is an area of strength for the Leafs, which further supports the idea that the Hurricanes and Leafs could be natural trade partners.
However, as a 24-year-old top four defensemen who shoots right and is under control for six years at exceptional value ($4.025M/year), Pesce will certainly not come cheap. The price tag for Pesce would likely be at least as high as what the Leafs paid for Jake Muzzin.
Previously, William Nylander was believed to be the centrepiece for a potential trade for Pesce, but those were media driven rumours, and the Leafs never had any intention of moving one of their core piece, as Kyle Dubas made clear with the verbal affirmation that Nylander would not be traded.
"“The discussion that William and I had had a couple of times was a fear of his … that he was being signed to be traded… And my discussion with him, I just affirmed with him that that was not our intention whatsoever. Our intention was that as long as I was here that I saw him as a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs.” – Kyle Dubas"
With Nylander’s departure as a trade chip, the emergence of Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen this season has given new life to trade talks.
Carolina is believed to have expressed interest in Kapanen and it is likely that he would serve as the new centrepiece in a potential trade for Pesce (see here why the Leafs would be unwise to include Andreas Johnsson in a potential trade).
The Leafs would likely need to add more to the trade to satisfy Carolina and a prospective offer could look like this:
Leafs trade: Kasperi Kapanen, 2nd round-draft pick in 2020, and a prospect (e.g. Dmytro Timashov)
Hurricanes trade: Brett Pesce
While the price may appear steep, Pesce’s contract, ability, and playing style do make him an ideal fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs and trade rumours will continue to heat up as the deadline approaches.
Statistics courtesy of NHL.com and CapFriendly.com