Maple Leafs: Lou Sets Market With Deal Dubas Should Have Made

Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the rumor mill for weeks now, and deservedly so, as Dubas has stated publicly that he is looking to improve the team and all options are on the table.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are leading the North division by 7 points with 16 games left on the schedule.

The Leafs have been rumoured to be in on almost every player in the league, but Kyle Palmieri is a player they should have landed.

The April 12th deadline for trades is fast approaching and Lou Lamoriello basically set the price-point with a blockbuster trade.  The first big domino has fallen.

Kyle Dubas, The Toronto Maple Leafs and Lou Lamoriello

The official deal is as follows:

NYI                                                                   NJD

Kyle Palmieri  (50% retained)                  AJ Greer

Travis Zajac    (50% retained)                   Mason Jobst

The Devils also received a 1st in 2021 and a conditional 4th 2022.

This is just a crazy good deal for the Islanders.  This is definitely a buyer’s market if the Devils have to retain salary on both rentals plus take two players who are not expected to become effective NHL players, just to get the Islanders to give up a 1st round draft pick.

It was rumored that the Leafs were one of the teams that had been talking with the Devils about a deal for Palmieri.

I would have done this deal in a nanosecond, and I think Dubas should have stepped up with an offer and beat Lou to the table on this.

According to capfriendly.com, the pro-rated cap hit the Islanders are taking on for Palmieri is around $1,242,672 after the salary retention.  The Leafs currently have about $525,125 of cap space and it’s projected to be $626,110 on April 12th.  Kyle Dubas and Brandon Pridham could have found a way to make that work.

Why Palmieri?  Because he was the first big name dealt for a reason.  He set the market for a reason.  He’s a really good player.

Palmieri has scored .31 goals/game for his career, and that translates into 25 goals over an 82 game season.  If you look at his games played due to injuries, when healthy, he has basically been a 30 goal guy during 5 of the last 6 years.  He’s got a great shot, a nose for the net, and he likes the dirty areas.  The Leafs could use a guy like that.  He’s also the kind of guy that coaches can trust in all situations, so you don’t ever have to shelter him.

Palmieri on the wing with Tavares and Nylander would make that trio a very formidable unit in a playoff series.  It would also move Alex Galchenyuk down to the 3rd or 4th line and give the Leafs some scary depth at the bottom of the roster.  Galchenyuk is a good player and is doing fine in the top 6 right now, but I bet he would be able dominate against lesser quality competition, especially if he’s playing with a creator like Spezza.

Credit Lou Lamoriello for smashing my hopes and dreams with Thor’s hammer, but there’s still time for Dubas to get out there and acquire a difference maker.  The prices have been set and they are good prices for a team that is trying to win right now.  The Leafs are legitimate contenders, and we already know they are willing to push their chips into the center of the table.  This is the year.  Now is the time.

Taylor Hall?  Nick Foligno?  Maybe a defenseman like David Savard?  Linus Ullmark to shore up depth in goal?  The trade deadline is Christmas for hockey fans and any day now we can wake up and find a present under the tree.  I don’t know what that will be, but I do know that more than any year in recent memory, this is the year that I definitely want to wake up to a present.  Make it happen Dubas.

Go Leafs!