It would almost make too much sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins to make a trade with each other.
Rumors are flying that David Pastrnak may be on the trade block, which means the Toronto Maple Leafs should pursue him immediately.
As of right now, the Boston Bruins are in a weird spot. Their core is getting old, but they still have more than enough talent to make the playoffs. They’re in the middle of having one more kick at a Stanley Cup run and starting a rebuild.
One of their best players (David Pastrnak) is set to become a free agent after this year and is more than likely going to be asking for a huge extension. As such, the Bruins may not want to sign him, so instead of letting him walk as a free agent, they may want to trade him for an asset.
Pastrnak would be a hot commodity if he hit free agency, but the Leafs may have the perfect package to trade for him before he enters.
Toronto Maple Leafs Should Pursue David Pastrnak If He’s Available
Assuming that Pastrnak is actually available, the Leafs would need to build a package around William Nylander to make it happen. Nylander is not as good as Pastrnak, but he has two more years of control, wherears Pastrnak has just the one.
If the Leafs were to add picks and prospects, it might be something Boston would consider. William Nylander is good, but David Pastrnak is on another level, so this would really improve teh team.
If Boston acquired Nylander in-exchange for Pastrnak, they would be able to delay their rebuild for two more years, giving Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron a little longer to make a run at a Stanley Cup. For basically the same price, they’d be replacing one 30-goal scorer with another, so the team’s production shouldn’t change completely.
Also, if Toronto acquired Pastrnak , they’d essentially be going all-in for next season, hoping for a different result than year’s past.
Overall, Pastrnak is a better player than Nylander. He’s more skillful, he’s more physical and what’s even crazier than that, is that he makes less money.
High-end prospects and draft picks don’t always work out, whereas William Nylander is a top-50 player in the league. Even though he’s super talented, Boston could even be able to afford to sign Nylander to an extension, while Pastrnak is set to make $10M-plus, which could be unaffordable.
Trading in-division doesn’t happen as much as it’s probably a pipe-dream to ever think the Bruins would gift Pastrnak to Toronto, but if they ever were to ship him away, Toronto’s package could arguably be the best option for them, if they still want to compete.