4 Unorthodox Trades/Moves for the Toronto Maple Leafs to Consider

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost once again in the first round of the playoffs.

Surprisingly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have actually seen reason, and they are going to leave their management team and coach alone and let them continue to do their jobs.

I was afraid that the loss to Tampa would cause a bloodletting that was both unnecessary and performative, but I’m proud to say the team I cheer for is reasonable and smart and won’t be doing anything to appease the trolls.

That said, anyone who thinks this team is going to come back without major changes is kidding themselves.

The Toronto Maple Leafs need a goalie, they need to revamp  their roster to get around the salary cap, and they’ve got to move out some deadwood while bringing in some fresh perspectives and talent. Not to mention making room for some prospects who are ready to be everyday players.

So while the team isn’t going to trade William Nylander or Mitch Marner, and while they won’t be making any high-profile management or coaching changes, the team is going to look very different come September.

Here are four possibly out-of-the-box ideas I have about making that work.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Revamp the Blue-Line

The most important players on the Leafs blue-line are Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.

The most important thing to realize is that Morgan Rielly is a weapon who can be used more effectively if he isn’t forced into a role *(i.e #1 defenseman) that he isn’t suited to.

Playing close to 30 minutes per night and being the top pairing should fall to Timothy LIljegren and Rasmus Sandin.

Liljegren put up the best numbers in the regular season on the Leafs blue-line, and the team did it’s best when he was on the ice.  They lost by one goal in the seventh game of the playoffs after sitting him for five straight games, and it’s worth wondering if he’d have made a difference.

He and Sandin were one of the NHL’s best pairings this year, and look for them to take on a top four role to start next season, eventually graduating to obviously being the team’s top pairing.

On their second pairing, the Toronto Maple Leafs should use Morgan Rielly with rookie Topi Niemela.  Lyubushkin is an OK player, but he was so outclassed on the top pairing against Tampa, and he obviously doesn’t have the puck skills to play with Rielly.  They should still re-sign him, however.

Pairing these players combines the worst of both worlds and hopefully it never happens again.  The Leafs can pair Rielly with a strong rookie puck mover, and they can use their skills to help the team score against weaker competition.

Finally, re-sign Giordano to a cheap one-year deal and pair him with  Lyubushkin and use this as the shut-down pairing.

Assuming you can get Brodie and Muzzin to waive their No Trade Clauses, you’d free up $10 million dollars in cap spending.   Holl can get traded too and you have $12 million to spend.

This might seem counterintuitive, because while Muzzin and Brodie are getting older, they are still good players, and they are still worth their contracts.  Doesn’t matter. The two kids will cost 10% of their salary (assuming they are re signed fairly cheap) and you can spend money better than on two mid-range veteran defenseman.

I like Brodie and I like Muzzin, but they are in decline and it’s really going to be hard to get better if you don’t have a few players with high ceilings scattered throughout the lineup.

The Leafs haven’t given much of a chance to rookies and young players in the last couple of years, and I think next season we will really see that change.,

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 03: Carter Hart #79 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on against the Minnesota Wild at the Wells Fargo Center on March 3, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Trade for a Potential Superstar Goalie

The Flyers are coming off a disaster of a season.

They had a ton of hype for Carter Hart, and he let them down.

But he’s 23, and he has a very reasonable 2 x $3.9 million cap hit.

He’s also a classic “Change of Scenery ” player with a  ton of talent.

Does Jack Campbell and a first get this done?  What about a couple of prospects thrown in?

I obviously have no clue what it would cost, but this seems like the kind of “buy low” opportunity that doesn’t come around too often.

If the Leafs stick with Campbell, I have no problem with that. I really, really like Jack Campbell, and I honestly wonder if, given the mercurial nature of the position, it’s ever worth spending the assets to get a goalie.

But Hart let’s you split the difference.  He’s talented, has an incredibly high ceiling, a reasonable contract and is really young.  But he’s struggled to the point were the team he plays for might actually want out of that deal.

And, since the Flyers are the team that game Rasmus Ristolainen a long-term deal, you know they are a poorly run team who can be taken advantage of.

If I am running the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carter Hart is my top off-season priority.

Matthew Tkachuk

This is probably the longest shot I’ve ever suggested, but why not?

Matthews Tkachuk, who definitely received at least some Hart votes this year, is an RFA this summer, while the Flames have franchise player Johnny Gaudreau as a UFA.

This means the Flames can be pinched.

No one uses the offer-sheet, but they should.  If you can add Matthews Tkachuk, one of only a handful of actual power-forwards in the NHL, it’s worth all five first round picks it will cost you.

If the Leafs actually got rid of Campbell,  Muzzin, Brodie, Kerfoot, Mrazek, Evgvall and Mikheyev, they’d have $20 million to spend.  Liljegren, Sandin, Giordano, Lyubushkin, Carter Hart could be had for $10 million, leaving you $12 million to fish for Matt Tkachuk.

I for one think 5 forwards for $50 million has a much better ring than The Core Four for $40.

Tkachuk gives the Leafs everything they need – basically an actual tough player who can play in the heart of their lineup, and it’s almost poetic how they’d have to double-down on their most controversial philosophy to make it happen.

And before you write 1000 words telling me how dumb I am, I realize this not likely to happen.  That is why I used the phase “Unorthadox” in the tile, instead of “realistic and bound to occur!”

However, I do believe I’ve shown how the Leafs could completely alter their lineup while maintaining their belief in the core, and improving their team.