It’s deadline day. Rumours are somewhat pointless at this stage as everything will go down in a matter of hours, but nevertheless, we’ve got to start somewhere and here’s what is out there in the grand scheme of Leafs rumours…
Connecting dots on #Leafs cap after McCabe/Lafferty trade:
1. Either Toronto is not planning to activate Matt Murray until the playoffs.
2. Or Toronto is now moving one of Kerfoot / Engvall / Holl before the deadline.Seems to be some smoke recently with Kerfoot and #Canucks.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 27, 2023
Kerfoot remains one of the most likely Leafs to be on the move, especially if the Leafs are looking to do something big. Frank’s rumour predates the Schenn trade, so maybe the smoke around the Canucks wasn’t related to Kerfoot at all.
There still could be something around the Canucks, if they’d rather have Kerfoot’s one year cap hit of $3.5M and are willing to eat a bit of Garland’s contract to make a swap there.
As for Kerfoot, he’s not a completely undesirable option for playoff bound teams, his prorated $775k salary is easy for sellers to take on if there is a worry about actual dollars being paid, but there is a complication when it comes to Alex having a 10 team no trade list.
I continue to believe it is far more likely that David Kampf would be the odd man out as Kerfoot is a more versatile option for the Leafs.
Justin Holl lands on Chris Johnston’s trade board
From Chris Johnston:
If the Leafs decide to make another addition they’ll likely have to clear out salary and Holl could be the odd man out. The team currently has nine defencemen on its NHL roster and he’s a pending UFA. However, his play has come on as this season has worn on – so it’s no guarantee he’s moved.
Holl is another player high on the at risk for relocation Leafs. The nine defenseman thing is very real, especially when Jordie Benn is on the Marlies as a capable 10th defenseman too.
Holl also has a 10 team no trade list and that can create an issue for just dumping him off on a seller as part of a single deal. There’s also the matter of Holl being worthwhile depth for the Leafs, especially with more limited options on the right side. I wonder if the newly acquired Erik Gustafsson could just be making a pitstop in Toronto on his way elsewhere or if Toronto wants to flip their newly signed Conor Timmins. Still, Holl seems like the most obvious departure of the group.
No one really connected to Leafs is left
Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi were mentioned by some as possible Leafs targets, but they are most certainly unavailable going forward. As things sit around midnight there is a belief the Leafs aren’t done, but potential targets aren’t really out there at the moment. In that spirit, here are a few interesting names that have maybe not gotten much attention or are new to the trade target lists that are worth discussing…
Filip Zadina #10 on Chris Johnston’s list
From Chris Johnston:
The Red Wings pivoted to become sellers when they saw the going rate on players and added two extra first-round picks with the Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Hronek trades. The price won’t be so high here. Zadina is still looking to establish himself as an NHLer but he’s young and still under team control.
Zadina has term and a cap hit under $2M AAV, that’s not a bad buy low option for a team like the Leafs. I’d assume that Zadina would be in the 2nd round pick territory, so the Leafs would probably have to go after him with prospects.
Nick Bonino #22 on Frank Seravalli’s list
From Frank Seravalli:
Two Stanley Cup brothers-in-arms right next to each other at No. 21 and No. 22. If you listen closely, you can still hear Harnaryan Singh’s call from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ run in the Stanley Cup playoffs – “Bonino, Bonino, Bonino, Booooonnniiiiiiiinnnnnooooooo.” It was the soundtrack of the spring in the Steel City, a legendary call on a player who showed up in significant situations for the Pens. Bonino has never been fleet of foot, but he’s incredibly smart and his attention to detail is second to none. He is a diligent worker and has a strong work rate, and his point production hasn’t wavered much at all from his career averages. The Rangers, Bruins and Penguins were among the teams that have inquired about him.
Someone is going to pick up Bonino cheap and frankly, it might as well be Toronto. He 100% fits in with what they are doing and shouldn’t cost a lot to acquire. He’d be the cheaper asset but higher cap hit alternative to Nick Bjugstad, and frankly, I’d rather have Bonino.
What’s next for the Leafs?
As Elliotte Friedman said on Wednesday night, “if you think Kyle Dubas is done, you’re crazy.” The Leafs sitting on nine defensemen with still a bit of a need up front absolutely points to something yet to come. I don’t think the option the Leafs thought they’d be pursuing is necessarily still available and there might be a bit of scrambling, but at the same time there is likely some scrambling on the seller side too. Looking at a team like the Ducks, they can’t be happy with what they’ve been able to do compared to their peers.
With nine hours left (plus the trades announced after the deadline closes) we are nearing the end game. Keep refreshing TLN throughout the day as we will have all the latest Leafs rumours and transactions.
