3 Players That Should be on the Toronto Maple Leafs Trading Block
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to make a trade this offseason and there are three players who could be on the chopping block.
If you look at the Toronto Maple Leafs roster, it has a ton of depth. Although that’s great, there’s too much talent making too much money in the bottom-six. As such, someone needs to go.
If you think this team is trading one of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares or William Nylander, think again. It’s not going to happen. Even if there’s a perfect trade involving Jack Eichel out there, this team is going down with it’s core four.
Trading one of either Tavares or Marner would solve a lot of salary cap issues, but it wouldn’t make them a better team. If the Leafs actually traded Marner, who could they get in return that would actually be as good? Sure, cap space is awesome in today’s world, but so is a top-10 player in the NHL, who is a magician with the puck.
Obviously we’d all love to some cap space so that this team can acquire another big-name defenseman or free up some money for Morgan Rielly, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
As we look at the roster, there are a few names that would make a ton of sense to trade this offseason.
As such, here are three Toronto Maple Leafs that are on the team’s trading block.
No. 1: Ilya Mikheyev
It doesn’t always work when you sign a player from the KHL, but Mikheyev has been an exception.
After a scary injury in his first season, Mikheyev bounced back in his second. He only scored 17 points in 54 games, but he was healthy and effective. It felt like he had a breakaway every night but was rarely able to actually score on them.
His speed is a huge reason why he’s worked on this team and a reason why many other teams in the NHL would want his services. At 26-years-old, Mikheyev is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent next year and will probably ask for more than the $1.65M he’s currently making.
Although he’s deserving of that money on the open market, he doesn’t fit the Leafs long-term. He’s solid, but for that same price on the left-wing, Toronto can slot in Michael Bunting, Pierre Engvall and/or Nick Robertson.
Mikheyev is realistically a fourth-line player, but is paid like a third-liner, so Toronto needs to ship him out to clear some space.
$1.65M may not seem like a lot, but putting a player like Bunting in that spot for $700K less could be the difference from signing another veteran or upgrading the team. Mikheyev is a very likeable player, but the team should look to trade him very soon because he just doesn’t have enough offensive output to be worth the money.
No. 2: Alex Kerfoot
When the Leafs signed David Kampf to a two-year deal at $1.5M AAV, that was the end of the road for Alex Kerfoot.
Kerfoot, who makes $3.5M, should not play in the Leafs top-six as a winger and should not be put ahead of Kampf in the depth chart. As a result, he needs to be traded immediately.
For the past two years, Kerfoot has been a great third-line centre. He’s played penalty kill, has shown speed and has also contributed a little bit offensively, but, now that Kampf is here for $2M less, Kerfoot should get traded.
Kerfoot is the Leafs most realistic trade chip and could help reel in an aging defenseman on an expiring deal, or could be traded for draft picks, just to clear salary cap space.
Either way, his $3.5M contract is a huge burden on this team, as they have enough depth that can fill his services. Whether that’s Kampf, Engvall and/or Adam Brooks, all three of them can be just as effective. ‘
Kampf may not have the same offensive output as Kerfoot but he’s a great defensive forward and will be a key piece towards a shutdown third-line. Goals are great on the third-line, but having a line that can shutdown the other team’s best line is just as important.
No. 3: Morgan Rielly
The huge question still facing the Leafs this offseason is whether or not Morgan Rielly will be with this team when the 2022-23 season starts.
As a pending UFA, Rielly could sign a team-friendly deal to stay in Toronto, or he could test the market for the first time in his career. As a player who’s only been with the Leafs for his entire career, it wouldn’t shock me if he wanted to test the waters.
If that’s the case, Rielly can be a huge trade chip for the Leafs and would be someone who would fetch a huge return. Obviously, the Leafs would be in a much better situation if they kept him, but it could be intriguing to trade him prior to the season.
If Toronto and Rielly can’t come to an agreement and it doesn’t look like they will, the best option could be to trade him so that they can actually get something in return. Over the past few years, the Leafs have rarely traded their pending UFA’s, so they could change that narrative with Rielly.
Next. Time to Trade Kerfoot and Mikheyev. dark
Although it’s probably unlikely to happen, Rielly should still be considered as a top player on the Toronto Maple Leafs trading block, until he signs a deal to stay.