Tyler Toffoli and Adrian Kempe
for
Torey Krug and Forsbacka-Karlsson
Toffoli could be the answer at 2RW. He's a smart, right handed shooter and LA plays that heavy-on-the-boards cycle game that Krejci loves. He scored 31 goals 2 years ago and I believe he plays mostly with Jeff Carter who's a shoot-first center so paring him with a pass-first center like Krejci could elevate his game. He makes $4.6 this year and next so he should be motivated to cash in on his UFA status in 2 years.
Kempe is a big, powerful Swedish center who scored 37 points last year. I haven't watched him closely but Swedish is usually synonymous with "smart, two way player" and reports are he's got outstanding straight line speed. He has struggled so far this season (he's down to 12minutes a game) and that makes me think they wouldn't see moving him as a big loss. If the change of scenery can spark him back to life he could be the answer at 3c for us this year and if not he's an RFA at the end of the year and the Bruins can walk away.
LA gets the best player in the deal (Krug) at an area of need. Krug has outscored Toffoli in the last two seasons as a defenseman. Honestly, it pains me to lose Krug but left defense is clearly an area of strength for Boston. On the other hand, LA has a strong core with Doughty, Muzzin and A-Mart, but after that their defense is paper thin. Phaneuf is only playing 15 minutes a night and is -10. The two guys after him are rookies in their mid-20's. So I think Krug would give them a big boost, and the idea of Doughty pushing the pace on the first pair and Krug driving the offense on the second would have to be enticing. LA is thin on RW, but with the deal for Hagelin they have some depth at LW so maybe they swap Kovalchuk to the right side.
The contracts are almost a wash, both in terms of current cap hit and when they (Krug/Toffoli) become UFA's. JFK is in there to replace the youth lost in Kempe, and I think Boston can afford to move JFK because of Frederic and Studnicka. Boston's healthy lineup would look like this...
Marshy - Bergeron - Pasta
DeBrusk - Krejci - Toffoli
Heinen - Kempe - Bjork
Nordstrom - Kuraly - Wagner
Chara - McAvoy
Moore - Carlo
Gryz - Miller
Toffoli is a good winger with an even better shot, but don’t think he’s worth one of the best scoring-defenders in the NHL. He scored 31-goals a few seasons ago, but he hasnt come close since then. He’s on pace for 20-goals this year again, so he’s definitely a consistent scorer, that’s for sure.
Being a right-shot, he’d certainly fill a void at 2RW for the Bruins, and you’re right that he would fit in next to Krejci quite well. I just think Krug+ should be netting an enormous return, something much bigger than this. JFK isn’t the strongest of prospects in terms of value, so its fair he would be going back the other way. Again, I like the rationale here.
IMO, the return to trade Krug should be something that involves a prospect like Vilardi, if we’re talking Kings. This clearly wouldn’t work from LA’s perspective because their clock is counting down and they’ll be banking on Vilardi to become their next 1C or 2C sooner rather than later. With that being said, this is what you should be aiming for when suggesting to move Krug, because his value is sky-high.
I’ll be remaining in the camp that Krug is far too valuable to this team, and to others, he should have to be bought— not sold.
I’d much rather roll with JFK or even Frederic when he returns from injury instead of Kempe. As someone who’s seen a lot of Kempe, I can tell you I really don’t think he’s worth all of that, and he isn’t much of a solution at 3C. He’s got good size and a good shot, but I question his ability to drive the play down the middle. Last year, he only won something like 38.5% of his faceoffs, and is currently well under 50% on the dot this year. He’s struggling to produce because in my opinion, he just isn’t that great of a centerman. Will he continue to improve? Well, I’m sure he can, but is the risk (moving Krug) worth the outcome? I don’t think so, personally.
We’ve seen over the last few years just how valuable defenders who can score are, and Krug is sitting there with the NHL’s elite in regards to his production. That’s worth way more than this package, if you’d ask me.
