Trades & Free Agency Thread: 2024-2025 - Deadline-ageddon

[Metroid]

With what assets ?

Florida tax

 

[CelticDruid]

Tavares is having a hard time with passing and everything tonight.

 

[Rare Jewel]

With what assets ?

Verhaeghe? + some other bits.

Or maybe a UFA swap with Bennett.

 

[LeafEgo]

A crazy move that wont ever happen but would be interesting in a fantasy setting

Trade 1:

Leafs get Mikko Rantanen (extend him this summer to 12.5M x 8) for Easton cowan + Ben Danford + 2026 qst + 2027 1st + Kampf/Calle Jarkrok

Futures out: Cowan, Danford, 2 1sts

Trade 2:

Sabres get: Matthew Knies

Leafs get: 1 of Quinn/Kulich/Benson + 1 of Ostlund/Rosen/Helineus + 2026 1st

You take the cost to extend Knies (6-7M) and allocate it to Rantanen to contend heavy next 3-4 years

Then you add 2 NHL ready/NHL player ELC/low cost high upside assets from the Sabres and a 1st.

2025 -2026 Team

Rantanen - Matthews - Marner

1 of Kulich/Quinn/Benson - JT - Nylander

McMann - 1 of Ostlund/Rosen/Helieus - Domi

XXX - Minten - Robertson

I'd roll the dice on a half priced Knies over Ranta, even in the near term (plus you didn’t account for defense in this makeover). The upside is that if this era is a flop no matter what you do, you also still have Knies coming into form and taking names for the next phase.

You'd think Knies would have to go to Canes for Ranta anyways, but who knows now what baffling moves they might make at this point.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

If the Panthers acquire Rantanen and don’t subtract from their core I’d throw in the towel on the season. Matthews isn’t Matthews this year and it’d be too costly to acquire the players needed to compete with them. Nelson/Laughton and a bottom pairing defenseman won’t cut it.

Woll and Stolarz are signed for next year at a good cap hit. Tanev, McCabe, OEL, and Rielly are still signed. Marner and Knies you can re-sign no problem, Tavares shouldn’t be brought back unless he’s signed for an AAV at $5 million or under. Regroup, in the off-season, actually fix your defence instead of just replacing Brodie with Tanev which leaves you with the same problem of not having enough top four defensemen, and either sign a 3C or hope Minten is good enough.

 

[LeafEgo]

What a weird trade by Nashville/Pittsburgh. One GM is new to the trade and has no clue what he is doing. The other likes to throw shit at the wall constantly hoping something sticks. Pair them together and they make up a trade for the sake of it.

I'm guessing this is part one of a multi trade transaction that was for some reason necessary (dont bet the house), but it certainly looks strange as of now. This could be another funny one for the books.

 

[LaPlante94]

If the Panthers acquire Rantanen and don’t subtract from their core I’d throw in the towel on the season. Matthews isn’t Matthews this year and it’d be too costly to acquire the players needed to compete with them. Nelson/Laughton and a bottom pairing defenseman won’t cut it.

Woll and Stolarz are signed for next year at a good cap hit. Tanev, McCabe, OEL, and Rielly are still signed. Marner and Knies you can re-sign no problem, Tavares shouldn’t be brought back unless he’s signed for an AAV at $5 million or under. Regroup, in the off-season, actually fix your defence instead of just replacing Brodie with Tanev which leaves you with the same problem of not having enough top four defensemen, and either sign a 3C or hope Minten is good enough.

Watch they'll get him for their 2027 1st round pick, 2026 2nd round pick, Mackie Samoskevich and like Evan Rodriguez

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Dubas acquiring Schenn + Novak as the Leafs plan D in case we can’t find another RHD and C.

He owes us

 

[ITM]

Dubas acquiring Schenn + Novak as the Leafs plan D in case we can’t find another RHD and C.

He owes us

I think he acquired Schenn for two possible reasons:

Because he's moving Letang out and/or because he's anticipating cost of one team uniting the Schenns. I think he has a sense Toronto has been evaluating Brayden and sees an opportunity to galaxy brain us into giving an "underperforming" prospect he and Clarke picked.

Just a hunch.

 

[Gabriel426]

What a weird trade by Nashville/Pittsburgh. One GM is new to the trade and has no clue what he is doing. The other likes to throw shit at the wall constantly hoping something sticks. Pair them together and they make up a trade for the sake of i

Preds got younger???

 

[Gabriel426]

I think he acquired Schenn for two possible reasons:

Because he's moving Letang out and/or because he's anticipating cost of one team uniting the Schenns. I think he has a sense Toronto has been evaluating Brayden and sees an opportunity to galaxy brain us into giving an "underperforming" prospect he and Clarke picked.

Just a hunch.

I think he is playing 4D chess while others are playing checkers.

For real, Schenn is a good solid bottom pairing vet and not like Pens care about cap space. As Schenn is really attractive if Pens retains 50%. Think Pens can get 3rd and another late round pick for Schenn.

 

[Gabriel426]

If the Panthers acquire Rantanen and don’t subtract from their core I’d throw in the towel on the season. Matthews isn’t Matthews this year and it’d be too costly to acquire the players needed to compete with them. Nelson/Laughton and a bottom pairing defenseman won’t cut it.

Woll and Stolarz are signed for next year at a good cap hit. Tanev, McCabe, OEL, and Rielly are still signed. Marner and Knies you can re-sign no problem, Tavares shouldn’t be brought back unless he’s signed for an AAV at $5 million or under. Regroup, in the off-season, actually fix your defence instead of just replacing Brodie with Tanev which leaves you with the same problem of not having enough top four defensemen, and either sign a 3C or hope Minten is good enough.

If Panthers somehow gets Rantanen, I would even tell JT and MM, we will sign you back but going to trade you now for draft picks.
Then trade those two with 50% retention.
Bc I just don’t see the Leafs beating Panthers with Rantanen and Tkachuk coming back in Round One.

 

[Kurtz]

I think he is playing 4D chess while others are playing checkers.

For real, Schenn is a good solid bottom pairing vet and not like Pens care about cap space. As Schenn is really attractive if Pens retains 50%. Think Pens can get 3rd and another late round pick for Schenn.

Nash fans said that he was quite bad this year. He's 35 with a lot of miles on his body, maybe he's just done.

 

[Gabriel426]

Nash fans said that he was quite bad this year. He's 35 with a lot of miles on his body, maybe he's just done.

I think everyone in Nashville is done, lol.

I think this trade actually helps Preds as they got a forward who might be overpaid but with terms and can contribute.

 

[Gabriel426]

Honestly to those who kept saying TB loaded up and that Leafs should go all in and get Schenn with essentially two 1sts(1 1st rounder and one of Cowan or Minten or Danford).
Well if Leafs OS some RFA this season at 9-11mil range, the compensations are two 1st, one 2nd and one 3rd.

 

[Folignos Helmet]

2 1sts and a 2nd plus other bit pieces should get you better then an expiring washed Gourde and Bjorkstrand.

 

[KaN19]

Maybe I'm just getting caught up in the moment, but I'd go all-in on Rantanen. Position be damned, he is a borderline-franchise player. None of the other players on the block would be even 1/4th as impactful.

We also have a lot of cap flexibility this summer with Marner/JT expiring and the cap going up. There are multiple scenarios where we could keep Rantanen beyond this season.

I doubt any other team would offer much more than two 1sts + Minten.

 

[torontoblood]

The impact a Leafs cup would have on the city, and across Canada in general, would be unlike any Cup win the NHL would have seen in any of our lifetimes. It would make the Raptors win look like a slow Tuesday.

In the realm of professional sporting events, the impact would be borderline limitless. But hope is a dangerous thing...hope can drive a man insane.


I don't think he's that player anymore.

Still remember how mishandled he was when he was first drafted here and it is still annoying.

It would be much bigger than the rangers finally ending their 54-year championship drought in 1994. It would be as big as the Red Sox triumph in 2004, the 2016 Chicago cubs or the 2017-18 Philadelphia eagles when it comes to historical significance, impact on the city, meaning to the fanbase, media impact and coverage, and buzz all across the sports world. It would be a watershed historical moment in hockey/sports history.

Because the maple leafs are the most popular professional sports team in the Greater Toronto area and in the province of Ontario. Maple Leafs are firmly ahead of the Raptors, Blue Jays, MLS’s Toronto FC, and Argonauts here, but in the New York area, the rangers are only above the Brooklyn Nets, the MLS team, The New Jersey Devils and the NY Islanders, but behind the Knicks, the two baseball teams (Yankees and Mets) and the football teams( Giants and Jets)

Toronto is the Mecca of hockey, home of the hockey hall of fame and the biggest hockey and source of endless nhl talent for the NHL. The GTA is also home of the biggest minor hockey league on earth, the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

Greater Toronto Hockey League - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The GTA produces a lot of hockey coaches, managers, executives, referees, players and journalists. Without the GTA, I can safely say that the hockey world would be a lot smaller than it is now. Hockey would have less presence, credibility and status in the sports realm.




A stanley cup title would mean much more to Torontonians than a Rangers cup win to most New Yorkers. And even in 1994 most NY citizens weren’t hockey fans. So the rangers championship didn’t mean much to most people there at the time. The 1994 Rangers parade had just under 1 million of people attending, disappointing numbers when you consider how populated the area is. By comparaison the Yankees had over 4 million of fans in their 1996 parade two years later.

The 2019 raptors championship win before the Covid pandemic was a big deal here and the parade was massive itself, downtown Toronto welcomed over 2 millions of fans in its immediate vicinity for the event. But the leafs championship win would be much bigger news and their parade would be significantly larger. 4 generations of fans ( generation X, Millenials, Generation Z and Generation Alpha) never saw the leafs play in the Stanley cup final game. Only the silent generation (most of them are dead now) and the oldest baby boomers have vivid memories of the last leafs cup. And the Last time this team advanced to the conference finals was 2002, 23 years ago. We’re more than due for actual playoff success, us leafs fans have been too patient and loyal to a fault honestly.

 

[Commander Clueless]

If the Panthers acquire Rantanen and don’t subtract from their core I’d throw in the towel on the season. Matthews isn’t Matthews this year and it’d be too costly to acquire the players needed to compete with them. Nelson/Laughton and a bottom pairing defenseman won’t cut it.

Woll and Stolarz are signed for next year at a good cap hit. Tanev, McCabe, OEL, and Rielly are still signed. Marner and Knies you can re-sign no problem, Tavares shouldn’t be brought back unless he’s signed for an AAV at $5 million or under. Regroup, in the off-season, actually fix your defence instead of just replacing Brodie with Tanev which leaves you with the same problem of not having enough top four defensemen, and either sign a 3C or hope Minten is good enough.

Ah maybe that's what Brad is waiting for. If Florida gets Rantanen, he slips Shanny some sleeping pills and sells.

 

[Commander Clueless]

2 1sts and a 2nd plus other bit pieces should get you better then an expiring washed Gourde and Bjorkstrand.

You can certainly criticize the price, I'll give you that.

But that doesn't change the fact that they really rounded out that forward group. Pretty sure Tampa Bay overpaid, know they overpaid, and don't give a flying frankfurter.

I also think people underestimate Bjorkstrand.

Honestly to those who kept saying TB loaded up and that Leafs should go all in and get Schenn with essentially two 1sts(1 1st rounder and one of Cowan or Minten or Danford).
Well if Leafs OS some RFA this season at 9-11mil range, the compensations are two 1st, one 2nd and one 3rd.

While true, that a) would involve us taking on another double digit contract again if 2) it even works and isn't matched, leaving us with nothing....and III) doesn't help us at all this year.

 

[Puckstuff]

Novak + Schenn wouldn’t have been the sexiest deadline for the Leafs, but it would have addressed 3c and the RD hole for a responsible price. I’m going to be pissed off a rebuilding team ended up with a better deadline then the Leafs if Tre doesn’t come through.

Knies - Matthews - Domi
McMann-Tavares-Marner
Robertson-Novak-Nylander
Lorentz - Kampf - Jarnkrok

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Schenn
OEL - Myers

Stolarz
Woll

 

[Sypher04]

I don’t see Florida getting Rantanen, but even if they do it doesn’t change anything. Not only is it a loser attitude to throw in the towel on a very good season just because a rival upgrades their team, but even if we were destined to lose to Florida, which we are not, there would still be no downside to acquiring players with term to address obvious holes in our team.

 

[TMLAM34]

Such a weird trade for the Penguins… I don’t even think Dubas knows what direction he’s going in.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Such a weird trade for the Penguins… I don’t even think Dubas knows what direction he’s going in.

Bunting just wore out his welcome again somewhere else is all.

He won't last long in Nashville either.

 

[stats1]

For me it’s Rantanen or nothing. Laughton ain’t fixing this team. Treliving has to have a massive summer coming up. If you can’t get a big name and go all in honestly just stand pat. Our D is atrocious without Tanev