Grading the Toronto Maple Leafs Moves at the Trade Deadline
By Joseph Zita
TRADE 2: TOR acquires F Nick Foligno (50% retained) from CBJ, in exchange for a 2021 1st-round pick and a 2022 4th-round pick
TOR acquires F Stefan Noesen from SJ, in exchange for 50% retained (25%) of Nick Foligno’s contract and a 2021 4th-round pick
Now, this was the biggest trade for the Toronto Maple Leafs during this four-day window of them making trades, essentially because it was a three-team trade and it involved a decent amount of moving parts and some salary retention from both teams too.
As seen above, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Nick Foligno (50% retained) from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2021 1st-round pick and a 2022 4th-round pick. The San Jose Sharks were also involved in this trade retaining half of Foligno’s contract before he was sent to Toronto as well as Stefan Noesen for a 2021 4th-round pick.
All in all, if you’re confused with the whole salary retention, Nick Foligno’s current cap hit is $5.5M but Columbus retained 50% of it when he was sent to San Jose, and then San Jose retained another 50% of it before sending him to Toronto with Noesen for that 2021 4th-round pick. So the Maple Leafs essentially have Foligno at a cap hit of $1.375M instead of $5.5M.
Initial thoughts of this trade were a slight overpayment for a 33-year-old regressing Nick Foligno on the offensive side, but he brings way more than just offence to a hockey team, plus the double salary retention too so I understand why Toronto’s 1st-round pick was in play here.
He brings leadership, experience, physicality, great defensive awareness while playing the wing or centre, and can still chip in some offence, but obviously not like years past. (Stats from CapFriendly.com)