Toronto Maple Leafs Have Better Options than Alex Pietrangelo

The Toronto Maple Leafs have long been rumoured to be interested in Alex Pietrangelo.

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear top be one player short of the Stanley Cup, and for many people that player is the Blue captain.

I was all for it too, back when expansion and the new TV Deal were going to send the salary cap into the stratosphere.  Now? Not so much.

While I maintain that the Leafs will have several advantages over their competition due to the flat cap (they are the NHL’s richest team, afterall) they still can’t create extra cap space.   So, given the age of Alex Pietrangelo, and the opportunity cost of paying him, I think they have to pass.

And I think that’s fine, because I think there are better options.

Toronto Maple Leafs Better Options

Yes, everyone wants an instant fix, but what about the long game? The Toronto Maple Leafs have three players who are potentially the kinds of defensemen teams regret trading.

Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Travis Dermott would be the type of blue-line we’d be drooling over if the Leafs weren’t otherwise on the verge of the Stanley Cup.  Given the team’s cap situation, do they really want to send one, or even two, of these guys elsewhere to turn into stars?

Add in Rielly, Muzzin, Holl and Lehtonen and the Leafs have seven decent options on the blue-line.  I realize the perception is that this group isn’t good enough, but I don’t agree with that at all.  The Leafs could potentially have one of the best blue-lines in the NHL.

Muzzin and Holl were an elite shut-down combo that put up solid numbers despite difficult usage.  The last time Rielly played a fully healthy season he was worth almost 4 wins (Pietrangelo is more consistent, but never that good) and they are bringing in the best non-NHL dman in the world.

If Sandin establishes himself, if Dermott takes another step, if Liljegren shows he’s an NHL player, then suddenly this is a great blue-line.

So I say stock the forward lines.  Keep Hyman, keep Johnsson, keep Kerfoot.   If you have some extra money, add another forward.  For several million dollars cheaper than Pietrangelo, you could probably get yourself another elite forward.

Sure, its an out-side-the-box play, but an elite player is an elite player.  There is no proof that a balance is necessary, and if I am in charge of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I’m in search of my version of Marian Hossa – the assassin who went from Cup team to Cup team and put each and every one of them over the top.

So forget Pietrangelo, let the blue-line develop naturally and look to spend what money you do have on a player who will add more value.  You can’t win in the UFA game and you shouldn’t even play.  (The one exception is if you can add a Hall of Fame centre, and Pietrangelo is no Tavares).