The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames could be involved in a major trade involving two high-end defensemen.
According to Sportsnet Nick Kypreos, we could be seeing the Maple Leafs and Flames swap Rasmus Andersson and Morgan Rielly as the main pieces in a trade this summer.
Kypreos dropped the idea in his Off-Season Trade Board, in which he listed Morgan Rielly as a potential consequence of the Leafs’ purported plan to change the club’s DNA.
The idea seems interesting as most of us have given up on Mitch Marner, while John Tavares could stick around. Having Marner leave and everyone else stays put wouldn’t be much of a shakeup. So, it makes sense to see the Leafs shop Rielly around.
As for the Flames, Kypreos cited Rasmus Andersson’s comments in the Flames’ end-of-season media scrum, alluding somewhat to a farewell. Additionally, Kypreos claimed that Leafs GM Brad Treliving (who was also the Flames GM), had been trying to acquire Andersson at this year’s trade deadline.
So, the Treliving connection could mean that an Andersson-for-Rielly swap could fulfill a purpose for both teams.
How so?
Andersson is an impending free agent. He’s entering the final year of his contract and carries a $4.55 million cap hit. That’s not bad at all given the Leafs’ cap situation this summer.
If the Flames feel that they won’t be able to re-sign Andersson, moving him now would make sense. Getting Rielly in return would give the Flames more cost certainty as he’s signed for five more seasons at $7.5 million.
Plus, there’s a connection with Nazem Kadri in Calgary, as both players came up through the Leafs’ system when they were prospects.
Aside from the potential contract extension issues coming with Andersson, he would be a perfect fit for the Leafs. He’s a puck-moving defenseman, has size, and most importantly, he’s a right-shot.
If the move goes through, the Flames rid themselves of needless contract extension drama while the Leafs get the right-shot blue liner they’ve been looking for.
A Maple Leafs-Flames won’t be easy this summer
In theory, this hypothetical Andersson-for-Rielly swap sounds good. But there are a few wrinkles to iron out before such a deal could be plausible.
First, Morgan Rielly has a full no-movement clause. So, the Leafs would have to ask Rielly to move it. In my estimation, I don’t see Rielly waiving his clause to go to Calgary. Even if the Leafs had a framework deal in place, the mere act of asking Rielly to waive his clause could sour the relationship between him and the Leafs.
Second, Andersson has a six-team no-trade list this season. We don’t know if the Toronto Maple Leafs are on that list, but if they are, that’s going to be a problem in getting the deal done. Moreover, Andersson may be unwilling to go to the fishbowl that is Toronto amid the heightened media scrutiny he’d be subjected to.
That last point brings me to the next issue. Even if Andersson agreed to the move to Toronto, would he be willing to re-sign now? Or, would Andersson play out the year in order to test free agency?
Pulling the trigger on this deal wouldn’t make any sense from the Leafs' perspective if they weren’t sure that Andersson would be willing to re-sign.
Lastly, I don’t think this trade would be a straight-up, one-for-one deal. My sense is that there would be other parts involved. For instance, could a player like Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, or even Ryan Reaves be headed the other way?
What about draft picks?
Would there be any additional pieces like prospects involved?
While the latter issues are details that are relatively easy to work out, they could play a factor in determining the overall price tag in this trade.
In my estimation, this deal seems unlikely. It could end up becoming a fleecing on the Flames. Giving up Andersson for Rielly at this point could severely backfire on the Flames. So, I don’t see the move happening unless the Leafs were willing to sweeten the pot to the point where the Flames would have a hard time passing on it.
As a final note, I will say this: The Flames would at least consider such a deal if they were desperate enough to do get anything in return for Andersson out of fear of seeing him walk away next summer.