Toronto Maple Leafs: Choose your Predator Mikael Granlund vs Mattias Ekholm
As the trade deadline approaches and rumors heat up, two names are the most prominent when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Despite a rough stretch, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been among the best teams in the NHL this season. As the trade deadline approaches, the team is in the market to buy. Two players that have have been strongly linked to the team are forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Mattias Ekholm.
Both players are currently with the Nashville Predators. General manager Kyle Dubas would likely want to bolster the team’s forwards and defensemen, but I highly doubt both will happen. With that in mind, should Dubas trade for Ekholm or Granlund?
Toronto has a phenomenal group of forwards. That doesn’t mean that they can’t get better. The group can create chances and score goals, but why not add a two-way presence?
Mikael Granlund is an attractive two-way forward that Dubas has been eyeing for some time now. He is not the same offensive player in Nashville as he was in Minnesota. That might not be much of a concern for Dubas, though.
The Finnish forward averaged north of 0.5 points per game in all but his rookie season with the Wild. In all three seasons with the Preds, including this season, Granlund averages fewer than 0.5 points per game. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
The Predators have notoriously failed to produce offense. Stars such as Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansson, and Kyle Turris were impact players before they arrived in Tennessee. It appears the organization has wasted offensive talent to favor their longtime favored defensive style.
Health has been a cause for concern regarding the forward. Of his ten seasons in the NHL, he stayed healthy once. So far this season, the forward missed four games due to Covid-19 protocols and a groin injury.
He has a current cap hit of $3.75 million, but that can drop to $1.875 million if the Predators retain half his contract. That contract expires this offseason, meaning Dubas will not need to protect him for the upcoming expansion draft.
The winger would play in the top nine, with hopes of connecting on one of the top two lines. It would give either line a winger that is responsible defensively with a scoring touch.
To acquire Granlund, Dubas will need to dive into his deep pocket of prospects. Depending on how the market is going for the Finnish forward, Dubas might be able to hold onto Toronto’s top youngsters.
There’s no doubt that Mikael Granlund would give the Toronto Maple Leafs a boost upfront. If the team wants some physicality, it may look to someone else.
Mattias Ekholm
The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is excellent, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon.
One of the more reliable defensemen in the NHL, Mattias Ekholm, may be up for grabs. Dubas must be drooling at the opportunity to trade for the Swede.
He is a puck-moving, two-way defenseman that can lay the body. Except for one year (see the chart) he’s pretty solid at both ends of the ice. It might seem like the Leafs don’t need any more offense, but Ekholm is an elite player who makes any team better. He is a true #1, and would likely be the Leafs best defenseman. On the Leafs he would push Justin Holl to the third pairing to replace Zach Bogosian who would then be the team’s seventh defenseman.
Mattias Ekholm from JFresh Player Cards on Patreon pic.twitter.com/YarfdvyIvK
— Editor in Leaf (@EditorinLeaf) March 27, 2021
Ekholm put up a career-high 44 points in 80 games just two seasons ago. He is close to that pace this season, putting up 14 points in 27 games. That’s on a team that is 26th in the league for goals scored per game.
What makes that stat line look even better is being one of only three starting players on the team with a positive plus-minus. Clearly, he is one of the few gems on the team.
Standing at six feet and four inches tall along with 215 pounds, Ekholm can put an opposing player in their place. While he only averages 1.17 hits per 60 minutes this season, he averaged 1.84 hits per 60 minutes last season.
The conservative style of play is similar to the current Maple Leaf, Jake Muzzin. They use their long stick to disrupt a play but will hit when they need to.
The fourth-round pick carries a cap hit of $3.75 million but can drop to $1.875 million like Granlund with a retained contract. The salary cap should not be an issue.
The main problem is that Mattias’ contract continues through next season. Dubas would need to decide if he will protect the defenceman in the expansion draft or not. That may prevent a trade from being made. Then again, you can always just pay Seattle to not touch your roster, which is another expensive, but rarely mentioned, option.
What would the price be for Mattias Ekholm? It would be a lot. He’s a number-one defenseman (who rarely get traded), and he’s elite both offensively and defensively. He is also dirt-cheap and has an extra year on his contract. If you want to add a level of
Take your pick for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Both Mikael Granlund and Mattias Ekholm would be ideal pieces for Kyle Dubas to add before the trade deadline. They would reinforce the team’s defense while chipping in offensively every once in a while.
While Granlund would fetch a pretty penny, Ekholm has a higher price tag. How much is Dubas willing to go all-in this season? That is something he must ask himself.
Toronto is not losing multiple top prospects. Instead, we can see one top dog packaged with a draft pick or a middle prospect.
With the Leafs at the top of the Scotia North Division, Dubas may want to do what put’s the team in the best position to win this season. Trading for Ekholm would do that, but it would cause a headache this offseason and next season if he remains with the team.
Granlund is more likely to hop on a plane to Pearson Airport. Not only would the Leafs love a defensive forward to play on one of the top two lines, but it would also make Dubas’ job less complicated during the expansion draft.
Don’t get me wrong; I would love Ekholm on the team. His physicality and two-way abilities would greatly benefit the team. I don’t see Dubas willing to pay the price for Ekholm’s term when he would likely leave the team this offseason.
Unless Kyle can get the defenseman for a bargain, I don’t see him wearing the maple leaf. As great as it would be, it is too good to be true.
Settling for Granlund is not such a bad thing. While he hasn’t been the same player offensively for a while, being on an offensive team like the Toronto Maple Leafs can rejuvenate that part of his game.
Toronto already has a ton of offensive players on the team, so adding a defensive one would mesh in well. That is what the team needs to help them compete for a Stanley Cup.
Next. Trade Deadline Round Table. dark
The only way Dubas grabs Ekholm is if he is willing to give up extra assets. He would also need to think Ekholm is significantly better than Granlund. Whoever it may be, it must give the Toronto Maple Leafs the best shot to win it all for the first time since 1967.