The Toronto Maple Leafs are always involved in any trade rumour as of late, but there is one San Jose Sharks defenseman whose name is out there that they should not pursue.
Mario Ferraro seems to have had his sights set on a trade from the Sharks to a team that actually matters in the current NHL landscape for some time now. The latest reports are that the defenseman has not officially requested a trade, but has rather made it clear that he is open to a change of scenery. And no one can really blame him as one of the lone players on the Sharks roster with some actual experience.
Ferraro and the Leafs have been linked in the past, so now there is a natural assumption that he could be a target for Toronto to go after to bolster its blue line. But, should they?
Would be a lateral move
Maybe more than any potentially available defenseman, Ferraro fits the Maple Leafs’ blue line seamlessly, but not in a good way. With a rugged defensive game and a limited offensive ceiling, the 26-year-old would basically just be adding to the status quo in Toronto.
Whether it’s Jake McCabe or Brandon Carlo, the Leafs already have a player with the same skillset. And even someone like Chris Tanev, who is much better defensively than the blueliners named – it would be making a blue line full of faceless players who can hold their own in the defensive end and be responsible with the puck, but are limited when it comes to moving possession up the ice.
To make it even less of a fit, Ferraro is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, with just one year remaining on his existing contract. While we have to assume if the Leafs trade significant assets for the Sharks defenseman, that they would then promptly re-sign him, it is not a sure thing.
Unlike when they traded for McCabe, giving up premium draft picks because of the length of his contract; Ferraro doesn’t have that luxury and a team would really have to believe in the player, and not just view him as a cheap and safe option to set in your top four and not worry about a lack of defense or grit.
It just isn’t a fit in Toronto. Maybe the Leafs aren’t even pursuing the player anymore, especially with the addition of Carlo, but if they even think about pulling off this move, they shouldn’t. There are already some Mario Ferraros in Toronto.