The Toronto Maple Leafs have made the first change of the off-season after trading Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After yet another season where the Toronto Maple Leafs were unable to win a post-season series, some serious changes needed to be made to the roster by general manager Kyle Dubas.
Now, the first of what could be many dominoes to fall this off-season has as the Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins have worked together to construct a deal that helps the former position themselves to make the necessary changes to turn the team into a contender.
The most notable part of the trade is Finnish winger Kasperi Kapanen, who will be returning to the team that originally drafted him in the first round of the 2014 Draft.
Breaking Down The Trade
The full deal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins is as follows: The Leafs receive the Penguins’ first-round pick in 2020, winger Evan Rodrigues, centre prospect Filip Hallander and defenseman David Warsofsky, while the Penguins receive Kapanen, defenseman prospect Jesper Lindgren, and winger Pontus Aberg.
The biggest issues facing the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season were the team’s lack of cap room in which to make the changes needed to improve on-ice performances, as well as the loss of their first-round pick thanks to the trade that allowed them to get rid of Patrick Marleau’s then-$6 million contract.
This deal gives them exactly what they needed in this regard, offloading Kapanen’s $3.2 million a season contract while also giving them a top-15 first-round pick, something the team could use to select a top young prospect in the draft or as trade bait to acquire a veteran player that can help them out immediately.
The Leafs also receive a couple of other assets that will be extremely valuable to them in both the short and long-term, with Rodrigues being a bottom-six forward that the team have some level of contract negotiation control over, with the former Buffalo Sabres player being an RFA once this season is officially concluded.
Rodrigues can play at either left-wing or centre and most recently played on a deal worth $2 million, registering just ten points (six goals, four assists) in 45 games during the regular season in 2019/20. (Stats via Hockey Reference).
If the Leafs feel he does not add enough value to the team and is demanding too much from contract negotiations, they have the option of qualifying him or simply allowing his rights to expire – freeing up even more room for them to work on adding to their current roster.
Outside of the first-round pick, which is arguably the key piece to this deal for the Leafs, Dubas has managed to acquire a highly rated prospect in the form of Swedish centreman Filip Hallander, who has been developing his game over the past few years in the SHL.
After being selected in the second round (58th overall) of the 2018 Draft by the Penguins, Hallander has played 72 regular-season games in the Swedish top tier, scoring 12 goals and adding a further 23 assists in the process.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic had Hallander ranked as either the second or third-best prospect in the Penguin’s system and he could have a higher ceiling than Kapanen, who was a solid third-liner for the Leafs this past season.
In this deal, the Leafs have given up a third-liner with a ‘big’ contract along with some minor league pieces and in return, they have landed a valuable draft pick, a truly promising young prospect, a player with NHL upside and a solid AHL defenseman while also gaining some much-needed cap space.