Trades & Free Agency Thread: 2024-2025 Season Edition

[LeafParade]

None of these proposed deals will happen until the deadline, and by then a lot can change.
Right now, they just have to figure out to make some musical chair deals because they do not have enough roster spots.
And I do not think the roster spot situation is an immediate problem when Jarnkrok is nowhere close to returning and Patches may go on LTIR.

 

[SprDaVE]

None of these proposed deals will happen until the deadline, and by then a lot can change.
Right now, they just have to figure out to make some musical chair deals because they do not have enough roster spots.
And I do not think the roster spot situation is an immediate problem when Jarnkrok is nowhere close to returning and Patches may go on LTIR.

I always think additions work out better when they are made earlier. It gives you a better look at your new lineup and gives you more time to establish chemistry and all that. We know the Leafs have a hole down the middle that will need fixing regardless if they wait or not. So if there's an opportunity that fits, they should jump on it.

With that said, it's pretty rare to see big additions before January across the NHL. A lot can happen by then and sellers will be mostly established. By then maybe Minten is a full time NHLer doing well, maybe Robertson is scoring a goal game... so we'll see.

 

[Skullz]

Pittsburgh has placed everyone other than Crosby on the table. There are a few depth options there I think we should around on. I like the idea of O'Conner and Rakell. Eller and Acciari not so much: I think we should be aiming higher if we are targeting a centre.

I know he is getting older, but if we could get Bryan Rust at 50%, would there be interest in that? Has 4 more years at 5 million. Would give us a lot more potential scoring.

Also, we have a lot of defencemen, but Pettersson would be a solid add. Too expensive though I guess.

 

[Americanadian]

Rakell would be a nice player to add, but I just don't see how we can afford it, for another winger. It would be a nice want, but not a need as much... and with limited cap, who would we move out to make room for him? With this year, plus three more years as well... that would be tough to take on, and I just can't see retention for three more years after this.

I mean, if you could pull it off... Eller and Rakell both at 50% would be great... that's $3.725 in cap hit. It's almost as if you've got to move Kampf, Reaves and Robertson to pull this off, with Eller, Rakell and Acciari coming back at 50% each... which I just don't see happening. It would be one heck of a lineup though.

They can afford Rakell at full price if Jarnkrok goes the other way. It depends on who goes away to accommodate a 23 man roster. I doubt Dubas retains on anyone whose deal goes beyond this season.

 

[SprDaVE]

Pittsburgh has placed everyone other than Crosby on the table. There are a few depth options there I think we should around on. I like the idea of O'Conner and Rakell. Eller and Acciari not so much: I think we should be aiming higher if we are targeting a centre.

I know he is getting older, but if we could get Bryan Rust at 50%, would there be interest in that? Has 4 more years at 5 million. Would give us a lot more potential scoring.

Also, we have a lot of defencemen, but Pettersson would be a solid add. Too expensive though I guess.

They can afford Rakell at full price if Jarnkrok goes the other way. It depends on who goes away to accommodate a 23 man roster. I doubt Dubas retains on anyone whose deal goes beyond this season.

But that means they can't afford a center upgrade of any sort of significance if they get a 5M winger regardless of who they dump. Rakell is good but he's not cheap -- he's signed for 3 more years at 5M. So unless Domi keeps playing center, I think the Leafs need to keep assets and cap space to add down the middle.

My targets from the Penguins would be O'Connor, Hayes (if healthy?), Eller (low interest) and Acciari (low interest). That's about it.

 

[Americanadian]

But that means they can't afford a center upgrade of any sort of significance if they get a 5M winger regardless of who they dump. Rakell is good but he's not cheap -- he's signed for 3 more years at 5M. So unless Domi keeps playing center, I think the Leafs need to keep assets and cap space to add down the middle.

It depends what C’s are available. With a Rakell for Jarnkrok swap you’d be looking at:

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander
McMann-Domi-Rakell
Lorentz-Kampf-Dewar
Holmberg

Rielly-Tanev
McCabe-Hakanpaa
OEL-Timmins
Myers

with 75k in cap space. Robertson, Benoit, Reaves would all need to be re-homed.

They would have to move out Kampf in any move for a C and offset the salary that way. You'd either need a C making less than 2.5M or you could get a C making 5M or less at 50% retention. Or a C making 10M or less with double retention (which they used twice last year).

Adding a C on top of Rakell would probably push McMann to the 4th line or maybe Pacioretty doesn't return to the lineup.

 

[WTFMAN99]

It depends what C’s are available. With a Rakell for Jarnkrok swap you’d be looking at:

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander
McMann-Domi-Rakell
Lorentz-Kampf-Dewar
Holmberg

Rielly-Tanev
McCabe-Hakanpaa
OEL-Timmins
Myers

with 75k in cap space. Robertson, Benoit, Reaves would all need to be re-homed.

They would have to move out Kampf in any move for a C and offset the salary that way. You'd either need a C making less than 2.5M or you could get a C making 5M or less at 50% retention. Or a C making 10M or less with double retention (which they used twice last year).

Adding a C on top of Rakell would probably push McMann to the 4th line or maybe Pacioretty doesn't return to the lineup.

I couldn't get my head around a 3rd liner making that kind of $$ unless they were an elite 3C that could really give us an edge, Rakell isn't that guy.

 

[Americanadian]

I couldn't get my head around a 3rd liner making that kind of $$ unless they were an elite 3C that could really give us an edge, Rakell isn't that guy.

I wouldn’t play him 3rd line. I’d put him with Matthews and put Marner/Nylander/Matthews on 3 separate lines.

Possibly:
Domi-Matthews-Rakell
Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander
Knies-X-Marner
McMann-Dewar-Lorentz

Either way - the allure of Rakell is he shouldn’t cost a lot to acquire. If you want a player that will give you an edge you have very little draft capital to work with and a very low end prospect pool.

 

[Menzinger]

Getting them to retain 50% on top of taking on a long-term cap dump like Kampf would be expensive to do. We don't have a 1st round pick to get that done. Plenty of contenders would gladly give up their 1st for a 50% retained Nelson I suspect.

Kampf has been just... there this season. He looks solid on the PK (finally made a good play last game) but a ghost 5 on 5 or at any point during the game.

He's become a replacement player, never overly terrible but rarely impactful. And is paid about 1.5 mil more than he's giving the team in terms of on ice impact.

That said I suspect if Tre wants to move him (and that's a big assumption in of itself, after all the Kampf extension was his second biggest move after becoming GM after the Reaves signing) theres usually a team in need of a C around the draft

 

[notdoneyet]

I want a third line center with some grit to go with a skill set
Playoffs are a war
Granlund doesn’t strike me as having that playoff grit needed

 

[Fogelhund]

There goes Eller... I would have paid that.

 

[Menzinger]

Dubas' likely would have a decent amount of interest in Minten (presumably at least). Curious if there's anything else or interest. But nobody really comes to mind

 

[SprDaVE]

Definitely a pretty fair deal for a veteran bottom line center. Not quite the "hockey trade" that's been rumoured but it lowers their cap and gets them picks.

Caps are a team that has retooled very well.

 

[Smif]

I’d prefer:
Rielly-Tanev
McCabe-Timmins
OEL-Hakanpaa

Rielly has historically played well with players of Hakanpaa’s mold. I wouldn’t put him up there in game 1 but I can see that pairing come playoffs assuming McCabe-Tanev stay together. Either way - Hakanpaa was signed to play games and if you can turn Benoit into an actual asset you should. He has 1 good not great season under his belt and 3LD is the easiest position to fill.

As far as Jarnkrok goes - I’m assuming the playoff forward lineup has Domi on the wing and a new 3C. Opening up cap space and acquiring assets for roster players makes this outcome easier. If Domi is on the wing then you don’t need Jarnkrok.

Knies-Matthews-Domi
Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander
McMann-X-Marner

Brock Nelson at 3c pls. He's look great between McMann and Marner imo.

 

[stickty111]

View attachment 929717

There goes Eller... I would have paid that.

He isn't amazing or anything but certainly a good C option. Would have done it.

 

[TMLAM34]

Pittsburgh is so bad. I can’t believe Dubas still has a job, he’s done nothing but continue their down trend.

There really isn’t much to like from their roster… I wouldn’t be against Bunting at 50% retained. O’Connor would be a decent addition to the bottom six. I’d love Pettersson, but being a lefty and already having Rielly, McCabe, OEL and Benoit on the roster I don’t see a fit.

 

[LeafParade]

I have hard time believing Crosby and Malkin will continue in that trainwreck. They are going to be abysmal next year.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Games like tonight while you do kind of write off...you also look at some guys on your roster and for me I am zeroing in on Robertson and Holmberg. They are not doing *anything* - we need guys who can bring an element to the line up.

One of them sits for Steeves and maybe we need to go external.

 

[SprDaVE]

Games like tonight while you do kind of write off...you also look at some guys on your roster and for me I am zeroing in on Robertson and Holmberg. They are not doing *anything* - we need guys who can bring an element to the line up.

One of them sits for Steeves and maybe we need to go external.

Holmberg has definitely struggled. I've been a supporter of his but he has regressed quite a bit. Too many penalties, not enough offensively and not enough defensively... just not good enough. Berube has given him a lot of leash and not sure he's earned it.

Robertson has been a lot more good than bad despite the low production. He'll break out. But he's also someone that needs to kick it up a notch one way or another, at some point you have to produce.

Overall, the Leafs have not had nearly enough production from a few of their "veteran" depth pieces like McMann, Domi and Kampf either. Not sure Steeves will come in and out perform them. It might take a bit to find that external option.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Holmberg has definitely struggled. I've been a supporter of his but he has regressed quite a bit. Too many penalties, not enough offensively and not enough defensively... just not good enough. Berube has given him a lot of leash and not sure he's earned it.

Robertson has been a lot more good than bad despite the low production. He'll break out. But he's also someone that needs to kick it up a notch one way or another, at some point you have to produce.

Overall, the Leafs have not had nearly enough production from a few of their "veteran" depth pieces like McMann, Domi and Kampf either. Not sure Steeves will come in and out perform them. It might take a bit to find that external option.

I think before we go external, it doesn't hurt to give Steeves a real chance beyond 5-7 minutes with scrubs, he is scoring in the AHL, maybe some top 9 minutes, give him his chance.

If he can't go then we look elsewhere.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Would have liked Eller but at the same time they need a younger more controlled option with better offensive upside

 

[arso40]

Games like tonight while you do kind of write off...you also look at some guys on your roster and for me I am zeroing in on Robertson and Holmberg. They are not doing *anything* - we need guys who can bring an element to the line up.

One of them sits for Steeves and maybe we need to go external.

This coach isn’t putting Robertson in a position to thrive what kinda of mix matched line is that McMann would be a better fit on the third line and Robertson would be a better fit on the second but don’t tell Berube that

 

[jaric1862]

Given the Price for Eller, it’s feels like we could get Evans from Montreal for San Jose’s 3rd + one of Robertson/Holmberg/Dewar.

 

[BallardEra]

I have hard time believing Crosby and Malkin will continue in that trainwreck. They are going to be abysmal next year.

They all wanted to return only if Sullivan stayed on as coach.

 

[MarMarSab3]

McMann has gone back to looking like an AHLer as has Holmberg and Robertson, need a complete revamped 3rd line, Reaves is garbage.