Toronto Maple Leafs Hypothetical Trade With the Blues

The Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to sign a right-handed defenseman who played for the St. Louis Blues last season, but maybe they should try to trade for one instead.

It’s that wonderful time of the year again, where Toronto Maple Leafs fan’s pray to the hockey gods that a hometown kid will come home. Remember July 1, 2018? That was the greatest day in Leafs-Land since 1967.

John Tavares did what no other big-name free agent had done and came home to play for the Leafs. It’s sad when a day like that sticks in your head more than anything that’s happened on the ice, but it’s true.

Now, two years later, many Leafs fans are screaming at the fact that the team spent $11M on Tavares, when instead, they could have used that money elsewhere. It’s pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Having Tavares on your roster is going to benefit the team more than not.

With free agency around the corner, Leafs fans are hopeful that another player will return home. No I’m not talking about Wayne Simmonds or Josh Leivo, but instead speaking of Alex Pietrangelo. The Stanley Cup winning defenseman is the king of the UFA’s right now and is exactly what the Leafs need.

A right-handed defenseman with size, who can contribute offensively but can play sound defense, would solve a lot of issues in Toronto. However, I’ll be shocked if it actually happens. The Leafs winning the free agent sweepstakes only happens once a century, and we already had that with Tavares, so I’d expect someone like David Clarkson to return before Pietrangelo ever does.

Regardless, here’s a ‘Hypothetical Trade of the Day’ that would solve the Leafs right-handed defense issues if they can’t land Pietrangelo.

Leafs Get Colton Parayko From St. Louis

The trade:

• Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Colton Parayko ($5.5M)
• St. Louis Blues acquire: 2020 1st Round Pick, 2020 4th Round Pick and Travis Dermott (RFA)

If the Blues want to re-sign Pietrangelo, they’re going to have to clear cap-space, so trading Parayko would make a lot of sense. The Blues wouldn’t be able to keep both players unless they traded a few expiring contracts like Alexander Steen ($5.75M) and Tyler Bozak ($5M), which may be a little hard based on their age and dollar-figure.

When I think of Parayko, I’d compare him to someone like Muzzin. In order to acquire him from L.A., the Leafs had to give up a first-rounder and two prospects. I think a deal that includes Travis Dermott would be enough to get Parayko to Toronto, if it meant St. Louis would be retaining Pietrangelo.

At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, the right-handed Parayko is a beast on the blue-line and would fit Toronto’s needs. Averaging 30-35 points per season, Parayko has a 51.6 percent career Corsi rating and is only going to improve with age. As a late-bloomer, the 27-year-old has only played five full seasons in the NHL but is a top-pairing defenseman.

Parayko will be bound for a raise in two years but it’s win-now mode for Toronto, so the team should do whatever it takes to acquire him if they can’t also lure in Pietrangelo.