GDT: Trades & Free Agency -- Off-season edition

[Stephen]

We should take a run at Dakota Joshua this summer.

 

[BertCorbeau]

We should take a run at Dakota Joshua this summer.

Career high 18 goals on 21% shooting .. he'll get paid for more than he probably brings, but he'd be a great 3rd/4th liner

If they move Jarnkrok, I'm more intrigued.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Would it be prudent to sign Knies to an early extension this offseason to lock him up before a potential breakout or just ride it out and bridge him for the lowest aav until UFA?

 

[Rielly4]

Would it be prudent to sign Knies to an early extension this offseason to lock him up before a potential breakout or just ride it out and bridge him for the lowest aav until UFA?

Id definitely do that but he has no reason to sign an early extension. I'd love to play him net front of the top powerplay to be honest.

 

[SprDaVE]

Would it be prudent to sign Knies to an early extension this offseason to lock him up before a potential breakout or just ride it out and bridge him for the lowest aav until UFA?

Treliving tends to get infront of those pretty good. I would say it's very possible the Leafs try to do it as early as possible.

 

[jaric1862]

I would love Jones but that contract is about 1.5 - 2 million too much.

 

[WillNy29]

Playoff Matthew Tkachuk opens the scoring. We need a Tkachuk.

and then finds himself promptly on the ice for 4 goals against. yup thats who we need

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Timothy Liljegren + Nick Robertson for Nick Jensen as a base. I’d add more since I think Jensen is a perfect fit and cost controlled.

Figured the Caps might want to unite Sandin & Lilly again after committing to Sandin long term.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Treliving tends to get infront of those pretty good. I would say it's very possible the Leafs try to do it as early as possible.

Alex Tuch's 7 year 33.25 million deal with Vegas at age 22 is the closest comparable I can think of. Tuch was just coming off a second season of 15 goals and 22 assists over 78 games (Knies finished his second season with 15 goals and 20 assists over 80 games).

The deal bought out 2-3 UFA years and came with a cap hit of 4.75M (5.97% of the cap). I'd love that cap hit, but if he's going for cap% then given the rising cap it might be closer to 5.24 over 7 years.

 

[SprDaVE]

Timothy Liljegren + Nick Robertson for Nick Jensen as a base. I’d add more since I think Jensen is a perfect fit and cost controlled.

Figured the Caps might want to unite Sandin & Lilly again after committing to Sandin long term.

34 year old Nick Jensen? 1 goal and 14 points Nick Jensen? 0 points in 27 playoff games. Signed for 2 more seasons at which point he'll be 36? He's already declining quite a bit. And you want to add more to get him?

I wouldn't give up either Liljegren or Robertson for him. I don't say this very often, but that is one of the worst suggestions I've seen in a very long time. If they retain 50% on his deal, I'd consider it a lot more and I still wouldn't give up much more than a prospect like Kokkonen or something.

 

[Fogelhund]

I've kind of been playing with things, and come up with this...

ROSTER SIZE	SALARY CAP	CAP HIT	OVERAGES	BONUSES	CAP SPACE
24	$87,500,000	$84,138,332	$0	$3,062,500	$3,361,668

Delete Player

Buyout

Add to Trade

Prorated Cap Hit

Roster​

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Domi, Max $3,000,000 C, RW UFA	Matthews, Auston $13,250,000 C NMC UFA - 4	Kane, Patrick $4,000,000 RW UFA
Knies, Matthew $925,000 LW, RW RFA - 1	Tavares, John $11,000,000 C, LW NMC UFA - 1	Nylander, William $11,500,000 RW NMC UFA - 8
Robertson, Nicholas $1,200,000 LW, RW RFA	Wright, Shane $918,333 ( $3,062,500) C RFA - 2	McMann, Bobby $1,350,000 RW, LW UFA - 2
Cowan, Easton $935,833 LW, C RFA - 2	McBain, Jack $1,599,999 C, LW RFA - 1	Dewar, Connor $892,500 LW, C RFA
Reaves, Ryan $1,350,000 RW UFA - 2	Gregor, Noah $800,000 LW, RW RFA	RW5
LW6
Roster created at CapFriendly.com | Follow on Twitter @CapFriendly

Left Defense	Right Defense	Goaltender
Rielly, Morgan $7,500,000 LD NMC UFA - 6	Lyubushkin, Ilya $3,000,000 RD UFA	Woll, Joseph $766,667 G RFA - 1
McCabe, Jake $2,000,000 LD/RD M-NTC UFA - 1	Pesce, Brett $5,500,000 RD UFA	Vanecek, Vitek $3,400,000 G UFA - 1
Benoit, Simon $1,350,000 LD UFA - 3	Roy, Matt $4,800,000 RD UFA	Driedger, Chris $2,000,000 G UFA
Timmins, Conor $1,100,000 RD RFA - 1

 

[SprDaVE]

Alex Tuch's 7 year 33.25 million deal with Vegas at age 22 is the closest comparable I can think of. Tuch was just coming off a second season of 15 goals and 22 assists over 78 games (Knies finished his second season with 15 goals and 20 assists over 80 games).

The deal bought out 2-3 UFA years and came with a cap hit of 4.75M (5.97% of the cap). I'd love that cap hit, but if he's going for cap% then given the rising cap it might be closer to 5.24 over 7 years.

I'd do anything between 4 and 5M for 6-8 years. Whatever term works. I'd go to 5.25M if the term is 8 years.

 

[1specter]

Rielly's skating has declined quite a bit over the years. For a guy whose strength is skating he's caught flat footed an awful lot out there and he's not great when he gets cycled into the ground. Jones has the easy mobility of a big wingspan defenseman.

Rielly looked pretty clearly injured to me these playoffs. I don't see why he would lose so much mobility in one year when he was a huge threat in last year's playoffs against both Tampa and Florida. He's 30 not 35-36.

 

[Leaffan1991]

If it's Jones for Marner I want Colton Dach or Rinzel attached to Jones as the package

 

[aingefan]

Timothy Liljegren + Nick Robertson for Nick Jensen as a base. I’d add more since I think Jensen is a perfect fit and cost controlled.

Figured the Caps might want to unite Sandin & Lilly again after committing to Sandin long term.

What am I reading?

 

[meefer]

To win the Stanley Cup, I'm of the opinion that your best players have to be the best players on the ice. At no time in this era of Leaf hockey have our best players been the best players on the ice. None of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares or Rielly can make that claim. IMO, each of them is a potential trade waiting to happen, and this includes Matthews. There is a case to be made that over the course of a game or two, one or two of them may have been the best player on the ice, but over the course of a series...I haven't seen it.

Whoever has the reins as GM when the dust settles has a difficult job not because the talent to be the best player on ice isn't here, it is, these guys are that talented - it's because those talented players have not been the best. Why?

One can argue that it has been the coaching that has held them back. Another common criticism being our cap structure (otherwise known as the Dubas critique), a third being the lack of draft selections not bringing cheap value to the table and helping the team. I will grant truth to all of these answers to the question, 'why?'.

What I don't see, again in my opinion, is that with these supposedly great players, none have thrust their skills into the course of a series and dominated that series. The greats impose their will in a way that alters the course of a series. Their play determines victory.

Over the course of 8 seasons I have yet to see a Leaf star player take over a series.

So, when it comes to trades this off season, I'm of the opinion that none of them should be considered 'safe'.

 

[Mitch nylander]

Rielly should be moved.

Not sure if trading our best defender fixes anything, especially when he's the only defence we currently have outside of maybe Timmins and Liljegren, that offer any time of puck moving ability.

We need more puck movers on d not less...

For every McCabe and Benoit there should be a puck mover. Colorado's defence has so many strong puck movers outside of Manson. It's about balance.

 

[Mitch nylander]

Timothy Liljegren + Nick Robertson for Nick Jensen as a base. I’d add more since I think Jensen is a perfect fit and cost controlled.

Figured the Caps might want to unite Sandin & Lilly again after committing to Sandin long term.

That is atrocious.

Jensen is gonna be a 34 regressing defender starting next year coming off of a major injury. He can skate well, and yes adds a bit of puck movement. But he's far from the defender we need.

Especially when you're trading a 22 year old forward who was pacing for 21 goals and 40 points in 3rd line minutes as well as a youngish 5D.

Jensen at this point is worth about a 2nd. So stick with that.

 

[Superstar]

To win the Stanley Cup, I'm of the opinion that your best players have to be the best players on the ice. At no time in this era of Leaf hockey have our best players been the best players on the ice. None of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares or Rielly can make that claim. IMO, each of them is a potential trade waiting to happen, and this includes Matthews. There is a case to be made that over the course of a game or two, one or two of them may have been the best player on the ice, but over the course of a series...I haven't seen it.

Whoever has the reins as GM when the dust settles has a difficult job not because the talent to be the best player on ice isn't here, it is, these guys are that talented - it's because those talented players have not been the best. Why?

One can argue that it has been the coaching that has held them back. Another common criticism being our cap structure (otherwise known as the Dubas critique), a third being the lack of draft selections not bringing cheap value to the table and helping the team. I will grant truth to all of these answers to the question, 'why?'.

What I don't see, again in my opinion, is that with these supposedly great players, none have thrust their skills into the course of a series and dominated that series. The greats impose their will in a way that alters the course of a series. Their play determines victory.

Over the course of 8 seasons I have yet to see a Leaf star player take over a series.

So, when it comes to trades this off season, I'm of the opinion that none of them should be considered 'safe'.

They were at their best for one round last season, but fizzled out in round two.

 

[Mitch nylander]

If it's Jones for Marner I want Colton Dach or Rinzel attached to Jones as the package

At least that, it would have to be a decent package. Jones is at this point an overpaid defender. He's shown he's nowhere near what he's making.

Erik Karlsson who came off a Norris nominated season with 100 points, who is frankly a much better talent than Seth Jones is at this point, only went for 3 cap dumps and a 1st. I think we need to think about that, when looking at defenders with sizeable deals.

 

[ToneDog]

and then finds himself promptly on the ice for 4 goals against. yup thats who we need

Small sample size my friend. Try looking big picture.

You must have loved Willy on Pasta's OT winner. Now that is what we need more of.

 

[SprDaVE]

Small sample size my friend. Try looking big picture.

You must have loved Willy on Pasta's OT winner. Now that is what we need more of.

You pump his tires when he scores a goal but leaks 4 goals against, and now it's excused. Tkachuk is a great rat player but he's not perfect, just like Willy.

 

[ToneDog]

You pump his tires when he scores a goal but leaks 4 goals against, and now it's excused.

Not excusing anything. He was -3 but it is game #1. Let's see how he comes out in game #2.

 

[Americanadian]

Mock off-season v2:

Keeping 2025-26 in mind.

To VGK: Marner (50% retained)
To CGY: Marner (50% salary), TOR 24 1st, Liljegren
To TOR: Markstrom, Roy, Theodore

To UTA: Jarnkrok
To TOR: TOR 25 2nd

To NSH: Kampf, Robertson
To TOR: McCarron

To VAN: Rielly
To TOR: Garland

UFA:
Montour 7.5Mx7
Tanev 5Mx2

Re-sign:
Knies 4.5Mx8
McCabe 5Mx2
Woll 2.5Mx3
Theodore 8.5Mx8
Dewar 1Mx2

Domi-Matthews-Bertuzzi
Knies-Roy-Nylander
McMann-Tavares-Garland
Holmberg-Dewar-McCarron

Theodore-Tanev
McCabe-Montour
Benoit-Timmins

Markstrom
Woll

In 2025 you either re-sign Tavares to league minimum (easy negotiation if he doesn’t want to leave Toronto) or you play Minten or Holmberg 3C.

 

[JKG33]

Marner for Jones isn’t a great, great match, since I’m sure people are worried about the optics of a Marner-Bedard looking terrible for the Leafs but Rielly for Jones might be doable from a money POV. Contracts end around the same time and you get a bigger defenseman who can play the workhorse role, is a way better skater.

Marner-Bedard would be a great line in the regular season, until Mitch the Bitch returns to postseason form.

I don't get wanting to trade Rielly. The entire problem with him is save for a year of Jake Muzzin, the Leafs haven't had another top pairing D man. They currently only have 2 top 4 D as it is.

McCabe-Jones
Rielly-X
Benoit-Liljgren

That's a group where if you can get a Luke Schenn type has everyone in a proper place. Two top pairing guys you can put together when the going gets tough, two top 4 guys as their regular partner, and 2 bottom pair guys thatre no longer playing above where they should be