The Toronto Maple Leafs could be searching for their next big trade, and it could be with the Calgary Flames.
Just last week, the Flames put Connor Zary on waivers, and he cleared, largely due to his cap hit; most teams couldn't take on his $3.7 million cap hit in full. He has since joined Calgary's AHL team but is still drawing interest, however, just with salary cap retention. Which is where the Maple Leafs could enter the conversation: if they could get Zary at $1.85 million and play him on the third line, it would be a great addition to the roster.
That said, if we have learned anything about John Chayka, it's that he isn't boring. He likes to make shocking deals like he did on the eve of opening night when he acquired Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Which is why Chayka should push to include Zach Whitecloud in the trade and bring in another need, especially with Chris Tanev being placed on the IR recently.
Whitecloud and Zary make a ton of sense for the Maple Leafs
On paper, the Maple Leafs don't need both Zary and Whitecloud, but in reality, no one should be judging a team based on what "paper says." We've seen that time after time, they look like a great team, the favourite in a playoff matchup, and they get beat. It's just not a smart way of evaluating a roster.
If Toronto could add both Zary and Whitecloud to the roster, it would strengthen their team and make them a much deeper group. As mentioned above, Tanev suffered an injury the other night against the Colorado Avalanche, and it doesn't look great. He was almost instantly placed on the IR, and there is still no timeline on how long he will be out; which is why Whitecloud makes the most sense as a target.
Whitecloud, 29, is a right-handed defenceman who would slot in perfectly on the third pairing alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He brings a physical element that is similar to Jake McCabe, something that Toronto is lacking on the back end.
As for Zary, he would be an extremely useful bottom-six forward. At just 25 years, he'd be a welcome addition to the third line with Easton Cowan and Nick Paul. Which would push Colton Sissons down to the fourth line, creating even more depth within the forward group.
The return for Whitecloud and Zary would be the most interesting part of the deal. It would likely need to include Miles Wood to make the money work for both sides. After that, the Flames would probably want to get a draft pick or two back in return. If they wanted a prospect or high-end AHL player back, William Villeneuve or Marshall Rafai stands out as players that are ready to make the jump to the NHL full-time.
Obviously, this deal only happens if Chayka decides to take a gamble while also needing to replace Tanev in the lineup. If he does, Calgary has to be considered very high on that list of teams that can fill a need for a relatively low cost.
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