Trades & Free Agency Thread: 2024-2025 - Trade Deadline Approaches

[Dekes For Days]

The successful teams don’t have all those elite players at the same and similar positions.

Successful teams have come in all sorts of elite player configurations. You're making arbitrary distinctions, because you know I'm right. There are many different ways to win a cup.

Excellent straw man.

Just following in your footsteps.

It is the least impactful position.

Wingers are important. Dismissing the impact of a high end, two-way, all-situations player is ridiculous.

I disagree… and the results support my position.

You can disagree all you want, but the results do not support your position.

I would also choose Marner over Nylander, but Nylander has already been locked in, and we absolutely cannot have both.

We can have both, and choosing the worse one would be pretty stupid if we were choosing one.

The GM in Pittsburgh is the embodiment of what you think about hockey. It don’t work here. It isn’t working there.

The GM in Pittsburgh is not the embodiment of anything. He's just a GM. If you want to misunderstand why Pittsburgh is in the state it's in, go ahead. Doesn't change the good job he did for the Leafs.

 

[supermann_98]

This is peak Leafs fan. I don’t know how you look at Pietrangelo’s career since 2018 and Nylander’s and say you’d prefer Nylander.

1D for 2 cups vs 2RW for 1 series win.

It should never have been Nylander or Pietrangelo, it should have been Tavares not signed to keep cap room for Pietrangelo. Imagine not signing Tavares, keeping Kadri, letting Marleau expire without giving up a 1st that turned into Seth Jarvis...

Knies - Matthews - Nylander
Hyman - Kadri - Marner
Johnsson - Jarvis - kapanen
4th line wouldn't matter

Reilly - Pietrangelo
Muzzin - Brodie
Gardiner - Zeitsev

Obviously the depth D and 3rd-4th lines would be vastly different, but the core would be almost 9 deep

 

[Americanadian]

I have no idea what a C acquisition looks like but if there is cap left over I think poaching Tolvanen from Seattle would be very shrewd business. Tolvanen comes with a 3.5M cap hit this year and next and can slot in as 3LW in a world where the Leafs run 3 lines. Moving out Domi and bringing in Tolvanen (not necessarily the same deal) would be good cap management. Tolvanen hits a ton, he scores at a decent clip, his defensive metrics have historically been strong and his last playoff run he had pretty good production for 3.5M.

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Tolvanen-X-Nylander
McMann-Tavares-Jarnkrok

I'd even probably trade the 2026 1st for Tolvanen+Gourde (assuming the cost of Tolvanen is similar to Niederreiter).

 

[Torontonian]

Liked Chris Tanev game, speedy and kills pens. Has the ability to get in on the forecheck fast. North/South looks like it suits him the best.

I think if you added him on our 4th line beside Lorentz / Kampf / Tanev it would be a solid 4th line.

If you're not looking to break the bank, I think Tanev and Gourde would be your best bet. Don't think with the injury to Gorude he's going to cost you a 1st anymore.

 

[Evilhomer]

I'll say it again, but there is likely never going to be a better year to go all-in. Sell everything that isn't nailed down for the best players available right now.

 

[thewave]

I'll say it again, but there is likely never going to be a better year to go all-in. Sell everything that isn't nailed down for the best players available right now.

They may as well. They will either win or lose Marner or JT

 

[Fogelhund]

Liked Chris Tanev game, speedy and kills pens. Has the ability to get in on the forecheck fast. North/South looks like it suits him the best.

I think if you added him on our 4th line beside Lorentz / Kampf / Tanev it would be a solid 4th line.

If you're not looking to break the bank, I think Tanev and Gourde would be your best bet. Don't think with the injury to Gorude he's going to cost you a 1st anymore.

Brandon Tanev?

We already have Chris Tanev.

 

[Amadeus]

I was also impressed by Jaden Schwartz last night. He can fit in well with our team and provide secondary offense.

Brandon Tanev will be great as well!

 

[Americanadian]

I was also impressed by Jaden Schwartz last night. He can fit in well with our team and provide secondary offense.

Brandon Tanev will be great as well!

Would be a good target. He won a cup with Berube too.

 

[Americanadian]

Mittelstadt?

 

[Torontonian]

Brandon Tanev?

We already have Chris Tanev.

Lol, yes Brandon.. To use to writing out Chris Tanev

 

[4thline]

I'm not as comfortable with Puckpedia as I was cap friendly, but it looks to me like Kampf+ (Big) Futures for Schenn with Mermis and Reaves waived leaves us cap compliant with

Knies-Matthews-Domi
McMann-Tavares-Marner
Robertson/Patches-Schenn-Nylander
Lorentz-Holmberg-Dewar
Robertson/Patches

McCabe-Tanev
Rielly-Myers
OEL-Timmins
Benoit

Since we're in LTIR we'd be dollar for dollar from that point- Benoit or Timmins out could be replaced with 2.6/2.2 million dollar dman with single retention, 5.2/4.4 for double.
David Savard would fit the bill with single retention

McCabe-Tanev
Rielly-Savard
OEL-Myers

Risto would be another option, would take double retention but comes with an extra year.

What are we comfortable with going out? Kampf + Timmins/Benoit to start
2025 2nd, 2026 1st, one of our 2025 3rds. One or two of Minten/Cowan/Greb?

 

[jaric1862]

Friedman insinuated the leafs would rather trade one of their top prospects over next year’s first if we’re acquiring a big name center.

 

[Fogelhund]

Having thought about it some, we really could use more offense, and goal scoring capability from the back end. We could use a RHD, with size, skating.. well, Parayko has 12 goals this year, almost as much as our entire D core at 13. He'd be costly no doubt, but if St. Louis is selling, he's the guy you'd ask for. He had a couple of down years, but is fully healthy, and playing at a very high level. That's the guy I'd target.

Then go after Krebs.

Parayko is signed for this year plus five years.
Krebs is a RFA after this year.

If we are going to spend good assets, obtain guys we will have for years. To make the cap work, we might need some retention on Krebs... like $200k.. which would hardly be problematic for the rest of this year.

Parayko/Krebs ticks the boxes...

Rielly Parayko
McCabe Tanev
OEL Benoit/Timmins

Would be a solid group.

 

[ACC1224]

Always thought the younger Schenn would be a Leaf one day, like to see that happen.

How much time between 4 Nations completing and the Trade Deadline?

 

[Americanadian]

Having thought about it some, we really could use more offense, and goal scoring capability from the back end. We could use a RHD, with size, skating.. well, Parayko has 12 goals this year, almost as much as our entire D core at 13. He'd be costly no doubt, but if St. Louis is selling, he's the guy you'd ask for. He had a couple of down years, but is fully healthy, and playing at a very high level. That's the guy I'd target.

Then go after Krebs.

Parayko is signed for this year plus five years.
Krebs is a RFA after this year.

If we are going to spend good assets, obtain guys we will have for years. To make the cap work, we might need some retention on Krebs... like $200k.. which would hardly be problematic for the rest of this year.

Parayko/Krebs ticks the boxes...

Rielly Parayko
McCabe Tanev
OEL Benoit/Timmins

Would be a solid group.

I'm curious what you think would go out the door for Parayko. I fully agree he's a prime target but I don't see what entices STL to move him.

 

[Fogelhund]

I'm curious what you think would go out the door for Parayko. I fully agree he's a prime target but I don't see what entices STL to move him.

If St. Louis chooses to move him, it's part of a rebuild. Honestly, it's time for them. It isn't about enticing them, it's about getting a deal done, if they choose to go the rebuild route.

If so, it's probably something like Cowan, Danford, 1st, plus whatever we need to send back in cap. Three firsts... nothing super high as firsts though, maybe a B prospect as well. But it's futures for them.

 

[4thline]

Friedman insinuated the leafs would rather trade one of their top prospects over next year’s first if we’re acquiring a big name center.

It's an interesting dynamic, the balancing the value of upside/rarity and immediate need. There's a decent asset pool here in 2026 1st, Cowan, Minten, Grebenkin, Danford, and they all check different boxes for us internally.

Minten is next man up at C, and would allow 1 of Tavares/Schenn to slide over to LW as they age.
Cowan has the highest upside, but might still need a year in the A.
Grebenkin is almost ready, but is a wing and might not be viewed as having as much upside
Danford is a unicorn in our system, but unlikely to have an impact in our current window
The 1st is very important if we want to lengthen out beyond the current window, but is likely 4 years from contributing at minimum.