Toronto Maple Leafs: Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Patrick Kane Trade

The Cons

Perhaps it sounds too obvious, but the cons far outweigh the pros of simply adding a truly high-calibre winger.

First and foremost, at what cost would the Toronto Maple Leafs be adding Patrick Kane.

Any deal to take a star player off their hands obviously starts with future high-tier draft picks. From there, the Leafs would be needing to add some of their best prospects.

So let’s say Matthew Knies is gone and potentially Topi Niemala or Nick Robertson. Now add Alex Kerfoot and Rasmus Sandin to the deal ensuring a ready-to-go NHL player and a young option too; then you’re maybe somewhere near something semi-agreeable.

Is a season of Patrick Kane worth the value of at least 4 or 5 combined seasons of Knies and Niemala or Robertson on entry-level salaries?

Right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are almost $1.5 million over the salary cap, per CapFriendly. That number doesn’t include a contract renewal for Rasmus Sandin either. The salary cap must absolutely be a consideration.

Patrick Kane is in the final year of a $10.5 million contract; the math just doesn’t add up very easily. Significant salary retention likely with a third team involved, invariably making the deal even more challenging, would be required.

Assuming the Toronto Maple Leafs cleared the significant hurdles of salary and a trade package; the next con is that Patrick Kane would invariably upset the team’s chemistry.

The team has two fantastic right-wing talents already in Mitch Marner and William Nylander. With the need to ensure both of those two players and Kane saw enough ice-time, someone is going to invariably end up on their off-wing.

Now, you could definitely see positives in rolling a line of Nylander, Tavares and Kane; but is there actually enough puck to go around with that much offensive skill, and what happens to defense?

Patrick Kane would definitely be a superstar signing and one that you might even call franchise-defining but it would really be a foolhardy decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs to make this summer.

Even at the trade deadline, it still doesn’t make that much more sense without considerable injuries elsewhere on the roster.

While it is fun to dream, this one should stay a dream.