The Toronto Maple Leafs will not be adding P.k Subban to their lineup.
If you’ve been paying attention to the NHL at all for the last 24 hours, you’ve heard the rumour that the Toronto Maple Leafs were trying to trade for P.K Subban of the Nashville Predators.
It seemed like a crazy idea for the Leafs, but then P.K actually got traded to the Devils, and when you see the price, you see why the Leafs were interested.
He didn’t cost very much at all.
Subban and the Toronto Maple Leafs
One of my favorite players in the NHL is P.K Subban. If the Toronto Maple Leafs did acquire him, my first action was going to be to order a jersey with his name on it.
But this would be a very unwise decision for the Leafs. The cost of trading for Subban – if Nashville at any of the salary – would have been sky high. And even with Marleau getting traded, there was no way that the Leafs could take on all $9 million of P.K’s salary.
Now that we see what he was traded for, it appears that Nashville was motivated entirely by money.
P.K Subban is 30 and past his peak, into the tail end of his prime. He has three years left on a contract with a nine-million dollar cap hit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need a right-handed top pairing defenseman, but they shouldn’t go nuts to get one. There are better, cheaper options than Subban.
And, based on the evidence, I don’t think the Leafs care as much about what hands defenseman shoot as fans and the media. Last year, they played Ron Hainsey – a lefty – on their top pairing with Morgan Rielly.
When they needed a defenseman at the end of the year, they didn’t focus on what hand he shoots – they traded for lefty Jake Muzzin.
They could have went for the available righties Radko Gudas or Nick Jenson, but they traded for the best player available.
That is why I don’t think the Leafs were ever that interested in Subban. If they heard he was available at a discount, which he clearly was, then obviously they had to look into it.
I’m sure if the Leafs had wanted Subban, they could have beat the thin package that Nashville accepted from New Jersey, but the fact is, there was no way the Leafs could stomach that cap hit for a declining 30 year old.
The Devils, on the other hand, have a wide open window with Hischier and Hughes on entry-level deals. Too bad though, P.K Subban would have looked great in blue and white.