The Toronto Maple Leafs should trade for Jeremy Swayman

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a unique opportunity to make a huge splash. Allow me to elaborate.

Jeremy Swayman, one of the NHL's premier goaltenders, is potentially available after a disastrous press conference by the Boston Bruins. The Toronto Maple Leafs should be very interested.

The contract standoff between the Bruins and netminder Jeremy Swayman has hit a new low. During Monday’s team press conference, GM Cam Neeley made some incredibly unprofessional comments, stating that Swayman had "64 million reasons" to already have signed.

Following Neely’s comments, Swayman’s agent blasted the Bruins for revealing insider information on an ongoing deal, and he denied that what Neely said was even true. In fact, Swayman’s agent was so adamant about defending his client that the rift between the Bruins and Swayman may now be too big to repair.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should trade for Jeremy Swayman

Some weeks ago, the rumor mill went into overdrive suggesting that Sayman could be on the move. But as I wrote at the time, the Leafs should have offersheeted Swayman. Of course, that never happened. Now considering the most recent developments, it looks like the Leafs could have a real shot at making a huge splash.

So, could the Leafs actually pull this deal off?

They could, and they should want to, but they do not appear interested, even though the easiest path to success has always been combine Auston Matthews with one of the world's best goalies.

It’s rumored that Swayman wants a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $9.5 million per season. While that seems high to me, the Leafs cannot pass up the opportunity to get a top-tier goaltender, especially after striking out on several big names this past offseason.

Let’s use the Linus Ullmark trade as a reference. The Bruins were confident they would get a deal done with Swayman early during the summer. So, they traded away Ullmark, an impending free agent, for Joonas Korpisalo. Mark Kastelic, and a first-round pick.

So, do the Toronto Maple Leafs give up a goaltender, a roster player, and a first-round pick? That might sound like a lot, but it's pretty reasonable if you think you're getting a goalie worth committing $10 million or so to.

Despite Ullmark getting a Vezina, Swayman is younger and considered the more valuable goalie, so the cost would be more, but any kind of Mitch Marner for a goalie trade is a complete non-starter. That's just way too expensive and risky for the Leafs to even consider.

To begin with, another netminder would have to go Boston’s ways. That means that one of Anthony Stolarz or Joseph Woll would need to go, and they are obviously going to want Woll.

As for other pieces, why not throw Nick Robertson into the mix? If he’s still serious about leaving Toronto, perhaps including Robertson moves the needle for Boston, though realistically, his trade value remains low and Boston would probably ask for Easton Cowan instead.

Lastly, draft picks could head Boston’s way, too. The Bruins aren't going to give away Swayman, and if there is a trade, the Leafs won't be the only team involved. A first would have to be included in the trade, at the bare minimum.

Joseph Woll, Easton Cowan and a 1st round pick seems incredibly high to me, but anything worth doing is going to hurt, and I'd like to avoid the trap of most fan-based trade proposals and make it realistic. If the Leafs want an elite goalie, this is likely on the low-end of the cost. Please note, the salary cap doesn't work here, but I assume that if the Leafs had to clear space, they could do so by unloading some salary to either the Bruins or by making separate trades.

Obviously, this conversation is just speculation at the moment. But judging from the way this are going between Swayman and the Bruins, a major deal could be looming in the distance. So, stay tune because there’s lots more to this story than meets the eye.