By now most people have been made aware of the statement made by Elliotte Friedman about the potential of the Leafs adding a centre with term. In case you haven’t, here’s the quote:
“Now, I think their preference is term. That’s one thing I’ve heard out there, is that their preference is term. I mean, if there’s a rental they really like, I’m sure they’ll pivot to that too. But, one of the things I’ve heard, is that if they’re going to spend assets on a centre, they would prefer it to be someone with term”
– Elliotte Friedman
I’ll jump on the trade talk bandwagon and speak about a few players that I think the Leafs could target, while attempting to name a few that aren’t generally spoken about. I’m also going to include a few that are spoken about and give reasons as to why I disagree with them as targets. To start, we’ll direct our gaze toward the garbage fire that is the current New York Rangers situation:
Vincent Trocheck: The rumour mill is flooded with news out of New York. Earlier this season it was reported that the Rangers were looking to mix things up and messaged every team in the league to inform them that captain Jacob Trouba and forward Chris Kreider are available via trade. As of now Trouba has found a new home in Anaheim, Kaapo Kakko has been traded to Seattleand Kreider is still awaiting his fate. Since then it’s also come to light that Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck are available via trade and both could be of interest to the Leafs. Trocheck is 31 years old, has 4 more seasons on his contract at $5.625M per season and would fit the parameters of what the team is looking to add down the middle. He’s an all-situations player that brings an element of physicality to the ice and is currently sporting a 61% win rate on the dot. Given his affordable cap hit, ability to impact the game all over the ice and his recent playoff success (20pts in 16 playoff games last year for the Rangers), he’ll be a player that’s in high demand as the trade deadline draws near. The question shouldn’t be if the Leafs want him or not, it should be how much are they willing to pay to land him?
Mike Zibanejad: Zibanejad’s game has taken a swan dive this season. His point totals are nowhere near where they used to be and his effort levels are down. Is this a product of his environment or just a player that’s spiraling down fast? He’s nearly 32 years old, has 5 years left on his contract and comes with a caphit of $8.5M. The Leafs don’t have the space to fit that type of caphit onto the team, but let’s ignore that for now. If Zibanejad could turn things around with a change of scenery then he’s well worth the money he makes, as he is also an all situations player with a high skill level.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau: A much more affordable option, Pageau is also a player that is trusted in all situations. He’s a 2nd unit PK and PP contributor, he has 19pts in 36 games, is signed for 1 additional season with a $5M caphit and should be available if the Isles season continues in the direction it has been going. The question here is if Lamoriello would agree to retain salary to facilitate a move or not, because as good of a fit as Pageau could be, he’s overpaid at this point in his career.
Jack McBain: I’ll keep talking about McBain because it’s such an easy fit in so many ways. With 15pts in 37 games, while playing just 13 minutes a night and drawing in on Utah’s 2nd PK unit, McBain is a guy that is flying under the radar as a 3C option. He hits, he isn’t afraid to pick up for himself and his teammates at times, although fighting isn’t his job, he’s defensively aware, offensively capable and is affordable with a $1.6M caphit this season. He doesn’t technically have term, but is RFA at seasons end, so he’ll still be under team control.
Boone Jenner: Jenner has recently started skating again, which is good news for the Blue Jackets whether they want to keep him beyond this season or not. He’s the captain in Columbus and, like so many on this list, he’s an all-situations player that likely fits what the Leafs are looking for. His $3.75M caphit is one that they can find a way to fit onto the roster for this year and next, with the only question being how much it would cost to extend him beyond that. If I’m being pessimistic the biggest issue with Jenner would be his health, as he hasn’t played more than 60 games in 3 of his past 4 seasons, while the 4th and final season he played 68. That’s also not counting this year, which means that even if he returned today (he won’t) he would play a maximum of 44 games. One last snag? The Blue Jackets are just 2pts out of a wild card spot at the moment. The teams that sit in those wild card spots both have a games played advantage and the standings are crowded, so a lot will depend on how badly management and ownership wants to make the playoffs.
Nazem Kadri: I have no idea why Kadri is connected to the Leafs right now. He’s 34 years old, he has 4 seasons left after this one on a deal that comes with a $7M caphit, his 26pts in 37 games isn’t a total that is living up to that caphit even if it is good for 2nd best on the Flames, he’s a purely offense first player, he has a full NMC, the Flames are in a wild card spot and a lot of us haven’t forgotten what happened in the playoffs the last time he was here. Am I a fan of the feisty player that Kadri is? Yes. Do we now know that players like him and Bunting will get suspended more frequently and/or singled out by the refs for making them look stupid under the bright lights in Toronto and should be avoided for that reason alone? Also yes. The only question at this point is why I even bothered to include him on this list.
Frank Vatrano: This person doesn’t play centre in the NHL and never has. There’s a certain site that lists William Nylander and Bobby McMann as centre’s as well, so if you’re using a site like that to determine a player’s position you may want to find an alternative.
J.T. Compher: Detroit wanted to be competitive by now and maybe their new head coach can help change their fortunes, but changes to the roster will also be needed if they want to climb out of the basement in the East next season. With 3 more years at $5.1M per, Compher could be a player they’re willing to move in order to open some capspace and add some different pieces. The good is that Compher is an all-situations player that is adept at blocking shots and won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche a few short years ago. The bad is that he isn’t particularly good at faceoffs, isn’t one to hit and wasn’t used on the PP and PK a ton during the Av’s playoff run that year.
Andrew Copp: Copp and Compher are surprisingly alike. Copy/past what I said above but take out all the stuff about Colorado.
Jason Dickinson: This would be a very good addition in my opinion, even if Dickinson is one of the least skilled offensive players on this list. He plays a ton on the PK, hits, blocks shots and has produced 30+ points in each of the past 2 years. He’s not on pace for those totals this season (12pts in 38 games this year), but that doesn’t mean he can’t help on the scoreboard as well. He’s the type of physical player you want when you inevitably meet teams like Boston or Florida in the playoffs.
Alex Wennberg: The prize centre in San Jose might be pending UFA Mikael Granlund, but Alex Wennberg is also there and at 30 years old he may be interested in playing for a contender. With 1 more season with a $5M caphit, he isn’t signed long term, but he’s a prototypical 3rd line centre that can help your PK as well as toss up 35-45pts per season. My biggest concern is his lack of playoff scoring.
Colton Sissons: The points aren’t there this year with just 5 in 37 games, but Sissons has been a 30pt player the past few seasons, is a solid faceoff man, good penalty killer and has 1 more season left after this one with a caphit of just $2.9M. Maybe he’s a 4th line centre at this point, or maybe he simply needs out of Nashville and is worth gambling on as your 3C.
Ryan O’Reilly: I find it hard to believe that they won’t want ROR to be part of the solution in Nashville, but we all know from his previous stint that he’s an ideal 3rd line centre. He can play the hard matchups, is a great penalty killer, a great faceoff man, is dangerous offensively and due to not having any trade protection he would have zero choice in the matter. He won a Cup with Craig Berube as well, so I wonder if he’d be interested in trying again. We also know that Brad Treliving tried to sign him to a contract extension at the exact same caphit he currently owns, so the GM and coach would both agree that a return to Toronto would help the team. With 2 more seasons at $4.5M per year, all they’d have to do this summer is re-sign John Tavares to a more manageable caphit and they’d set themselves up to have one of the deepest centre groups in the NHL for the next couple of years.
I’ll quickly run through some honorable mentions, such as Scott Laughton, Dylan Cozens and Ryan Strome. Cozens, in particular, is a near impossible addition in my opinion due to the Sabres being a division rival, the cost to obtain and his caphit. The Sabres stand the chance of looking foolish when/if they trade him, which makes me think they’d opt to send him to a place where he’s less likely to hurt them in the standings each year. Strome is an option if they want a 3C that brings offense to the table, but he doesn’t kill penalties or play a physical game. He’s more like the players they already have, which makes me think Treliving would simply pass on that option. Laughton is definitely what they are looking for in a 3C, but I feel like the rumoured price to acquire him is exactly why he’s still in Philadelphia. Some say a 1st round pick gets it done, others say a 1st and a good prospect, either way it appears that the cost starts with a 1st but could be more. If you’re spending that much it would be nice to get more term, but I certainly wouldn’t complain about the addition of Laughton either.