The Toronto Maple Leafs may have a new goaltender in a few days, as Darcy Kuemper’s name continues to be rumoured in trade discussions.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to the Arizona Coyotes and Darcy Kuemper over the last year and that rumour resurfaced again today.
The most interesting part of this rumour is not that the Leafs would have interest in Kuemper, or that Arizona would retain some salary, but it’s the fact that the price is quite high.
What does that truly mean?
Toronto Maple Leafs Darcy Kuemper Trade Rumours
The current trade rumour comes from the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta
Coyotes G Darcy Kuemper continues to draw trade interest from multiple teams, including Toronto. Arizona may retain some of his $4.5M cap hit as part of a deal, but I’m hearing the price is quite high. Something to watch.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 26, 2021
During the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season, Kuemper finished in the top-seven in Vezina Trophy voting both years. Although he struggled last year, he was also playing on a very bad Coyotes team, who didn’t help him out at all.
A change of scenery would really help Kuemper and after his performance with Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships, it’s possible that all he needs is a defensively-sound team in front of him to be a top-five again goalie in the NHL.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in win-now mode. In order to better their chances at playoff success this year, they need two solid goaltenders, and Kuemper could be the answer.
Jack Campbell showed that he could be a number-one goalie last year, but the team needs another option in case that was a flash-in-the-pan type of season. The Leafs don’t have a ton of cap-space, so acquiring Kuemper at his cap-hit, or 25-50% retained fits their needs financially, as well.
Toronto has all of their first and second round picks for the next three years, so they have good draft capital in a trade. Not only that, but they have a number of high-end prospects who would fit well in a package.
It’s unsure what exactly Arizona is looking for, but based off many other trades, I’d reckon it would be a top-prospect, first-round pick and roster player. So hypothetically speaking, something like this may be enough to get it done:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Darcy Kuemper
- Arizona Coyotes acquire: Timothy Liljegren, Alex Kerfoot and 2022 first-round pick
That would be a big trade package for Kuemper, but if the team believed in him as their number-one goalie for the next five years, it’s worth doing. Liljegren keeps getting shuffled out of the top-six, while Alex Kerfoot is a replaceable third-line centre who could shine with more minutes on Arizona.
The 2022 first-round pick is tough, but who needs draft picks when you’re trying to win a Stanley Cup? Toronto’s prospect cupboard is still very stocked, so they’ll be fine without a first-round pick for another season.
Having one goalie you can trust is nice, but having two is even better and Toronto needs to make sure they have a 1A and 1B netminder heading into the 2021-22 season. As such, you’re not going to find a much better option than Kuemper, so the team should 100 percent pursue him in a trade.