With the Toronto Maple Leafs looking forward to the playoffs and trade deadline, they should consider making a splash, making a deal with the Blackhawks.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the best goaltenders in the National Hockey League in Frederik Andersen. There is no denying his skill, speed, and reflexes. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their backup who has been inconsistent and unreliable.
When the Maple Leafs make it into the postseason and it appears like that is where they are headed, they will want a rested starting goalie prepared to handle a heavy load.
Because Michael Hutchinson has not inspired confidence in his team, Kyle Dubas may have look externally for help. Since he should avoid dealing with the Nashville Predators, the Chicago Blackhawks could be a place to end that hunt.
The Blackhawks are no longer the dynamic powerhouse who won three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015).
They are currently battling just to make the playoffs, sitting well outside qualifying for them this year. If the Blackhawks continue to play at this pace, their general manager, Stan Bowman, will be forced to reevaluate his team and make some difficult decisions.
That likely includes trading away some players in order to recoup assets and make the team competitive in the future.
On the block for those deals should be one of their goaltenders.
Chicago has two stoppers of interest. Corey Crawford isn’t the same player he once was, but still knows what it takes to win. Robin Lehner may have usurped Crawford for the starting role on the team, which would make him even more desired by other clubs.
If the Leafs were to go after either of these two, it would greatly improve their goaltending tandem, meaning that Andersen’s load could be lightened leading up to the postseason.
Crawford, who is 35, started 22 games this year and won seven of them. He has a .906 save percentage with a goals-against-average (GAA) of 3.09. Lehner, now 28 years old, has a .922 save percentage with a GAA of 2.92. He has the fifth-best save percentage for all goalies with at least 25 starts this season.
Why It Should be Lehner
The more ideal choice for the Leafs is Lehner for obvious reasons. He is now the superior goalie, seven years younger, and more affordable. This also means that the package the Leafs would have to put together would need to be stronger to acquire Lehner.
Things get more complicated than simply putting together a compensation package for a goaltender once the cap comes into play.
Both men are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, which makes them both ideal trade candidates. Crawford has a $6 million AAV and Lehner’s is $5 million according to CapFriendly.
In order for the Toronto Maple Leafs to bring one of these goalies into the mix, they would need to shed salary. Most likely, this would mean that Cody Ceci would need to be included to make the money work.
It’s fitting since the Leafs should be trying to deal Ceci before the deadline.
Financially, moving Ceci and Hutchinson would be sufficient to get under the cap for Lehner.
At least another player off the Toronto Maple Leafs roster would need to be sacrificed to get Crawford. However, to be clear, the Blackhawks would need a lot more from the Leafs to get that deal done.
For Crawford, the Leafs shouldn’t be willing to part with any top prospects. If they could get Lehner and sign him to a team-friendly extension, it’s definitely worth Dubas entering into negotiations with Bowman.
Toronto is rumored to be willing to give up Jeremy Bracco, but Chicago may also want players the ilk of Rasmus Sandin or Timothy Liljegren.
For a UFA player either player would be a ridiculous ask, however.
Getting this deal done, would tie the Leafs up with $10-million invested in their goaltending this year and possibly the same going forward.
That would make re-signing players next season more difficult, but it may be worthwhile since it would give the Leafs two starting goalies, a luxury most teams don’t enjoy.
What Else Could Be at Play
The Toronto Maple Leafs have also been tied to the New York Rangers for their backup goalie, Alexandar Georgiev. Obviously, a trade with Chicago would put those rumors on ice.
Georgiev remains an interesting trade target because of his play and that he too is slated to be a UFA. He currently has an AAV of $792,500, which means that it is unclear what he will be demanding on his next contract.
It could also cost the Leafs a similar trade package to what they’d have to give up to get Lehner.
If Dubas doesn’t trust Hutchinson any longer then he needs to seriously consider finding a way to bring his team a goaltender.
Clearly there are risks involved in getting a deal done with Chicago, but it’s something that Dubas needs to fully flush out before time runs out.