The Toronto Maple Leafs are rumored to be in the market for a top-six winger who can make their team better for a run to the Stanley Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently sitting in first place in the NHL, and Elliotte Friedman poured gas on the rumour fire this week by touting a “mystery” forward he thinks the Leafs will try to trade for.
Friedman supposedly wrote his name down on a piece of paper and later on will reveal if he’s right or wrong. Well I won’t leave you in suspense. I will write my name down in this article and if I’m wrong you can yell at me below.
I spent the last several days discussing options with my friends and colleagues and pouring over the rosters of the NHL’s worst teams. The guy I believe the Leafs will want is Arizona Coyotes winger Connor Garland.
Toronto Maple Leafs Top Six Upgrade
Garland is actually the first player I thought of because I also used to moonlight as a Coyotes blogger back in the day and I’ve seen him play enough to know that I am a huge fan.
He’s everything the Leafs like: 5’10, skilled, cheap, and currently playing for a bad team.
The Coyotes are currently 6-6-1 and playing in a horrible division where even the worst team (I think it’s LA, but who knows?) has a shot at the playoffs. So they might be hesitant to move out one of their best players, but then again, they are highly likely to be amenable to futures even if they are in a playoff spot.
See, Garland makes $775 K and will be due for a massive raise next year. The Coyotes hate to pay anyone, and so that’s a problem. They are also a team who recently had to forfeit their first round pick and so might be open to getting one of those back. And, well, they aren’t Connor Garland away from winning a Stanley Cup, so no matter their position (and considering they’d have to go through two of the NHL’s best teams anyways to get anywhere) they are likely sellers no matter what.
Garland scored 22 goals last year, and has 13 points in 13 games this season so far. He also has a 58% CF, 60% shots-for percentage, and an xgoals rating of 64%. (naturalstattrick.com).
He’s 24, an RFA and playing for a bad team. He’s a winger who would easily fit onto a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, and the Leafs wouldn’t have to sacrifice any salary to make it work. No moving Kerfoot or Mikheyev, they simply send a first and Travis Dermott to the Coyotes and potentially get back a player who can help for years.
Garland is affordable and an upgrade. There aren’t many players who fit both categories. The Toronto Maple Leafs should trade for him.