Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 4 Assets Most Likely to be Traded
It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to upgrade their team, as a trade could be in the works as early as this week.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the most points, most goals scored and have a stranglehold on the North Division. If this team did nothing between now and game one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they’d still be able to compete for a championship.
However, as a professional sports team, you don’t get many opportunities like this.
Similar to a golfer on the PGA TOUR, you don’t typically hold the lead from the First Round to the Fourth Round. Usually, you find yourself in the hunt on Thursday and climb your way to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
It’s rare that you’ll see a golfer go wire-to-wire and lead the tournament after every round. The Leafs are that golfer this year. They’re hoping that they can start the season off hot and ride that momentum until the middle of July.
We’ve seen many examples of teams get off to a hot lead and fall in the playoffs. Tampa Bay did this two years ago and as a result, learned from their mistakes. They traded high-end draft picks in the 2019-20 campaign to get tougher to play against, instead of staying flat. Ultimately, it led them to a Stanley Cup championship.
We’ve also seen teams who were the worst in the NHL midway through the year come back to life and lift Lord Stanley. Sometimes all it takes is a good rally-song and a team goes from worst to first. Just ask the St. Louis Blues about that.
So although the Leafs are in a great position right now, it’s not a time to be complacent. Instead, they could use new energy and another body or two to get them from great to perfection. However, before they acquire these players, they’re going to have to flip some of their own to get them.
As a result, here are the top four assets that are most likely to be traded.
No. 4: Pierre Engvall ($1.25M)
Engvall’s recent play on the M-E-H line could be the best thing that happened to the Leafs, so it’s time to sell high on him.
65 career games that he’s played with the Leafs Engvall has been decent defensively, but useless offensively. Besides a stretch where he scored six goals in nine games, he’s barely seen the scoresheet.
In fact, he had multiple long stretches where he’s been nonexistent. During the 2019-20 campaign he had multiple droughts that lasted 18, 11 and seven games without a goal. Even though his contract is low, that’s completely unacceptable.
At 6-foot-5, his length and size is something that’s always nice to have. As Mike Babcock always said with Freddie Gauthier, “Every time I looked at him today he was six-foot-five, so I liked that.” (via: sportsnet.ca)
Unfortunately Gauthier didn’t turn into the player that the Leafs hoped he would and the same thing is happening to Engvall.
You’re not going to get a great package in return for him straight up, but paired with another piece, Engvall could be a player that a team finds appealing. He’s a solid piece but at his price-tag, he seems like he’d be one of the first players to leave.
No. 3: Alex Kerfoot ($3.5M)
Whether or not it’s the smartest decision to move on from Alex Kerfoot, his contract fits nicely in trade proposals.
Kerfoot is a very versatile player. His speed makes him valuable because he can jump up and down the lineup and play either wing or centre. Not only that, but he’s a great penalty-killer and can provide a little bit of depth scoring with 12 points in 26 games.
You can definitely upgrade on Kerfoot as the third-line centre, but he’s not going to hurt the organization in their run for the Stanley Cup.
The reason why Kerfoot may be more of a trade asset than maybe at the beginning of the season is because the third-line has been producing without him. The M-E-H line has looked great, thanks to Ilya Mikheyev and Zach Hyman, so the Leafs may look at Kerfoot as trade bait.
Currently making $3.5M, Kerfoot’s contract going out could be the difference in acquiring a superstar or not. The Leafs clearly want to upgrade the top-six, preferably the left-side, so Kerfoot’s deal could be intriguing for that opposing team.
With a few years left on his deal, Kerfoot’s contract is still incredibly appealing, but since the Leafs continue to be tight to the salary cap, any money coming out could be beneficial in making a monster deal.
No. 2: Timothy Liljegren ($863K)
Liljegren is going to be an everyday NHL defenseman, however it may not happen in Toronto. After years of disappointments on the blue-line, the Leafs defensive-core has blossomed into a very good group.
The top-four of Justin Holl, Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie isn’t changing for the next year, while Zach Bogosian and Travis Dermott have looked good in the No. 5 and No. 6 role. Obviously, those two spots could change next year, but the Leafs could easily bring one or both back and then promote Rasmus Sandin.
At the very best, Liljegren would be the No. 6 or No. 7 next season, so at what point do you move on from him? As mentioned, Sandin is arguably a better prospect than him, while Mac Hollowell isn’t too far behind. You obviously need depth at defense to win a Stanley Cup, but with the Leafs being competitive for the next few seasons, they should be able to find a few veterans to fill the gap at the bottom-end, instead of relying on a rookie.
The 21-year-old has six points (one goal, five assists) in eight games with the Toronto Marlies this season and is one of the team’s best defenseman, if not the best. The Leafs window to win a championship starts now and will probably be gone in two years, so if Liljegren isn’t going to be part of the solution from now until then, you may as well trade high on him.
You’d have to think that plenty of organizations around the NHL would kill for a young right-handed shot defenseman with a ton of potential, so that’s exactly what Liljegren has to offer. Package him with a draft-pick and/or a roster player and it could help the Leafs acquire a top-six forward that they desperately want.
No. 1: 2021 First Round Pick
Since 2008, the Leafs have only gone without drafting in the first round twice. Based on Kyle Dubas’ track record as general manager, that plan worked out pretty well in 2019, when the team was able to select Nick Robertson with their first pick, 53rd overall.
Having a first round pick is a great asset. However, when you’re selecting between 28-32 like the Leafs hope to be doing this offseason, it’s not as important.
The Leafs aren’t falling off a cliff like year’s pas, so this won’t be another Tyler Seguin situation. As a result, the team shouldn’t be shy when it comes to flipping their first round pick away for a player they like.
The core of this roster is already set. They have four of the best offensive players in the NHL and a top-four defensive core that is better than ever expected. Those eight players will be the driving force of this roster for the next few seasons, so the team doesn’t necessarily need their first round pick this year to begin with.
Next. Trade Rumors Are Getting Spicy. dark
Trading a first round pick by itself probably won’t fetch the Leafs a player that they’re looking for. However, if it’s packaged with a prospect or a player on the roster, it may be the cherry on top to get a deal done.