Headlines: The Leafs Are Shopping For Defense

The Leafs may not have taken to the ice for Hockey Night in Canada last night, but the team still managed to make headlines – literally.

Hockey Night’s Headlines intermission segment was rife with Leafs news, as Nick Kypreos dropped some interesting tidbits about the Leafs’ plans with the trade deadline drawing near:

Obviously, there’s a lot to unpack here. Kypreos dropped a lot of names here, ranging from big fish like Alex Pietrangelo to more depth options like Jake Muzzin and Radko Gudas, as possible targets for the Leafs down the stretch. Let’s take a deeper dive into how some of these possible scenarios could play out for Kyle Dubas and the Leafs.

The St. Louis Blues have been in a tailspin for most of the season, but a 6-3-1 stretch throughout their past ten games may reduce the likelihood of a full-on firesale for this club.

The Blues now sit just four points back of the final Wild Card spot in the west, with a game in hand to boot. But while deals for names like Alex Pietrangelo or Colton Parayko might be dwindling in their likelihood, it’s still worthwhile to examine how these potential deals could look.

On headlines, Kypreos speculated that the Leafs would be interested in a deal to land a big-name defenseman like Pietrangelo only if they could do so without disrupting their current core. Kypreos listed names such as Calle Rosen, Jeremy Bracco and 2017 1st-Round selection Timothy Liljegren as potential trade chips in a larger-scale move, as well as their upcoming 2019 1st-Round Pick.

While there is no doubt that Alex Pietrangelo would be a massive improvement for the Leafs’ back end, the Leafs might be wise to make a harder push for D-man Colton Parayko instead if they intend on courting a member of the Blues’ blueline. Parayko is not only four years younger, but is also signed to a pretty four-year deal at $5.5MM per season. Compare that to Pietrangelo’s two remaining years at $6.5MM, and the bigger fish to land may very well be Colton Parayko.

How would a deal for Parayko differ from one for Pietrangelo? The most important difference is that Parayko’s age, coupled with his longer term at a comfier cap hit might force the Leafs’ hand in including a roster player in the move.

Potential Deal:

A deal for Alex Pietrangelo might not look much different than this, either. Despite the Leafs’ reluctance to move on from a roster player, Kypreos’ reports of Timothy Liljegren being in play might be more dangerous than the Leafs moving on from a winger like Andreas Johnsson, who exists within an area of strength as opposed to scarcity and may become expendable as a result.

Elliotte Friedman noted in Headlines that Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen is not available as part of a deal, and that teams had already inquired regarding a deal for him, and were shot down. Does this mean Johnsson will be the odd man out in a deal? No. But it isn’t outlandish to speculate, and it’s even less outlandish to believe that he could be a safer option to deal than Liljegren.

Kypreos also spoke on the fact that a frequent name that has appeared in discussions of late has been Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas. Gudas is a dependable right-handed defenseman carrying a reasonable cap hit of $3.35MM for two more seasons, and could likely be had at a much more affordable price for the Flyers, who have been reeling all season and will be surefire sellers at the deadline.

Potential Deal:

Every piece of this deal other than Gudas is variable. It might make sense for the Flyers to add another depth goaltender who could have a future within the organization beyond this season, and a solid prospect like Jeremy Bracco is a decent way to sweeten the pot in a rental-plus move like Gudas, which would guarantee the Leafs could retain him beyond this season and the playoffs. A win-win for both clubs that would also give the Marlies some solid insurance in McKenna.

Elliotte Friedman alluded to the fact that the Leafs could also look at options on the left side, should they fail to land a right handed defenseman. The name Friedman dropped in this scenario was Los Angeles Kings defemseman Jake Muzzin, who has two years left on his deal at $4MM per.

The 29-year old Muzzin has spent some time on the Kings’ right side, and has been a dependable depth presence as a 4th/5th defenseman for Los Angeles. A deal here would definitely be one of a smaller magnitude, especially when considering Muzzin’s cap hit, but the Leafs might be wise to make a deal for a defenseman like Muzzin as a secondary acquisition, if they are able to shed some salary elsewhere.

Like it or not, much of what the Leafs would like to do on the back end hinges on whether or not they are able to move on from Nikita Zaitsev before the trade deadline. Kyle Dubas has made it clear that the Leafs do not intend on seeking a pure rental to bolster their back end, and taking on salary beyond the end of this season will absolutely necessitate moving on from some of their current cap constrictors.

Amazingly enough, there is reportedly interest in Nikita Zaitsev around the National Hockey League. Whether the Leafs can make a deal to get out from under Zaitsev’s 5+ remaining years without having to retain on Zaitsev’s $4.5MM AAV is another question entirely, but there’s no denying that, as the push to upgrade becomes more pressing, the Leafs have some important decisions to make.

From big names like Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo to dependable depth blue-liners like Gudas and Muzzin, Kyle Dubas has his sights set on upgrades. Even in what has arguable already been a franchise-best regular season for the Leafs, they remain a team in transition. Very few members of their current back end should be sitting comfortable right now, with February 25th just over a month away.