Toronto Maple Leafs: Possible Trade Targets for Kerfoot and Holl
With the recent signing of Pierre Engvall, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now $1,493,116 over the salary cap. Teams can exceed the cap by 10% in the summer.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas doesn’t need to worry about trading any players just yet, but some movement will need to happen before the season starts.
The main focus for Dubas right now is to get young defenseman Rasmus Sandin re-signed. Elliotte Friedman reported that Sandin is looking for a deal similar to Adam Boqvist (3 years x $2.6 million). Should the Toronto Maple Leafs sign him for that, they will be $4,093,116 over the salary cap limit.
The team currently has 14 forwards listed on their roster. Of those 14, eight are challenging for a spot in Toronto’s bottom six. Even by sending two players down to the AHL, Dubas will still be over the salary cap. At this point, trading someone is inevitable. Two players likely to be traded are Alex Kerfoot and Justin Holl.
Kerfoot and Holl have modified no-trade clauses in their contracts. Each player submits a list of ten teams they do not want to play on. Assuming both players want to play for a contender, the list of possibilities is short. Dubas will not want to be taking any salary back, so expect only draft picks or prospects. (capfriendly.com).
The Toronto Maple Leafs Could Trade Kerfoot or Holl to…
Most of the teams with plenty of salary cap space are non-playoff contenders. There are a few that are contenders, and it is these teams that I will focus on for possible trades.
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have 11 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders signed for the 2022-23 season. With $8,486,358 in available cap space, they could be a good landing spot for Kerfoot ($3.5 million) and Holl ($2 million). Nashville has eight draft picks for the 2023 NHL draft and seven picks in the 2024 draft.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have $4,833,531 in available cap space. However, they do still need to re-sign Kaapo Kakko. Until Kakko is signed, it is unclear how much cap space the Rangers will have. The Rangers only have five defensemen signed for the 2022-23 season, making them a good candidate for Holl.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins could be a trade partner for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there are a few factors to consider first. They only have $4,758,333 in available cap space. How much will be needed to sign RFA Pavel Zacha, and will Patrice Bergeron play next season? Until those things get sorted out, it’s unknown how much cap space the Bruins will have. Kerfoot could help Boston up the middle if Bergeron doesn’t return.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have $4,083,083 in available cap space. One of Kerfoot or Holl could fit within their salary cap. Carolina still has two RFAs to sign in Ethan Bear and Martin Necas. Signing both will lower the Hurricanes’ cap space, but how much is unknown. A separate trade with another team might need to happen before they can add Kerfoot or Holl. The Hurricanes have plenty of draft picks to make a deal enticing for Dubas.
Next. Engvall Extension Money Well Spent. dark
Could Justin Holl or Alex Kerfoot end up on any of these teams soon? I think the answer is yes. Not knowing which ten teams are on their no-trade list makes things unclear. With the Toronto Maple Leafs needing to make a move in the next month or so, we will find out sooner or later where one or both of these players land.