Toronto Maple Leafs: Three Players Who Should Be Traded This Year
Apr 13, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Maple Leafs center Leo Komarov (47) skates with the puck against the Montreal Canadiens at the Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens, 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs season may not have started, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things that should happen later in the year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have players that would be better served playing elsewhere.
While the hype is high and excitement is reaching new levels, the Leafs are still rebuilding. It’s still a process and they have assets that can be shipped out for a decent return.
I’m not talking about Joffrey Lupul, or a trade that will require miracles to happen. I’m talking about players the Leafs have who are on team friendly deals and that can work for the other team as well.
Sep 30, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jhonas Enroth (35) makes a save on Buffalo Sabres left wing Cole Schneider (10) during the second period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
3. Jhonas Enroth
It may sound odd to suggest trading a player who hasn’t played a single regular season game for the team, but it’s what the Leafs should be working toward.
Enroth is here on a one year deal for a reason. The Leafs only want him for one year, and Enroth only wants to be here for one year.
Backup goaltenders, especially the good ones, are always chasing that elusive starting gig somewhere in the league. By signing in Toronto he’s going to get a good workload and get a chance to showcase himself on a team that isn’t as good as the Los Angeles Kings.
He’s walking on July 1st, so the Leafs might as well get a return for him at the deadline for someone looking for depth. It’s a similar scenario as Reimer with the San Jose Sharks. Any return is still a return.
The onus is entirely on Enroth to make this happen, though. He needs to play as well as he did last year in order to get interest from around the league, not only for the trade deadline but for the off-season.
If he plays well, the Leafs should 100% be looking to find him a new home prior to the deadline.
Mar 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak (42) gets congratulated on his goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAYSports
2. Tyler Bozak
Bozak might be overpaid, depending on what your value is of the veteran, but it isn’t by much.
He’s a workable second line center that would make a team very deep if played on the third line behind a very good top two.
His $4.2M cap hit for the next two seasons isn’t terribly awful for even a team close to the cap. There are ways of making it work, teams do it every year. Perhaps making him a little more attractive is his actual salary is only $4M for the 2017-2018 season. A $500K difference in payout makes a difference to some teams.
Bozak simply isn’t in the future beyond his contract and clearing him out early gives the Leafs a chance to give more ice-time to young players who deserve to play with the big club.
There’s a line of players ready to make the jump that would be available to see significant development by Bozak’s departure.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
1.Leo Komarov
Komarov is probably a teams best option for a bang-for-your-buck acquisition. He’s a desirable player in both style and character – and he comes at a good price.
Only signed through 2017-2018, Komarov comes with a team friendly cap-hit of $2.95M – a number that stays the same in cap-hit and salary payout.
He’s not likely to sustain a 14.6% shooting percentage given his career history, but if you’re expecting him to pot 20+ goals then you’re getting him for all the wrong reasons.
If you can get 30 points, solid possession and physical play out of Komarov then you’re getting your money worth. None of that is too much to ask for.
Komarov isn’t in the plans beyond his current deal. Matt Martin can take care of the hitting once Komarov is gone, just as Komarov did by himself before Martin came along.
He’s an asset that can’t be left to expire without generating a return. The rebuild just isn’t that far along; that’s for competitive teams to do.
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