Fresh off signing former Leaf James van Riemsdyk on Monday to a one-year deal, according to multiple reports, including one from TSN’s Chris Johnston, Columbus is scouring the trade market in hopes of adding another forward.
Naturally, the Leafs feel like a perfect trade partner for such a transaction. As is the case most seasons, they’re up against the cap and are looking to move money out before camp breaks. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets, strapped with considerable cap space, are open to adding upfront.
On paper at least, it would make a lot of sense for the two sides to come together on something.
For starters, Nick Robertson should be an appealing target. Even though the 23-year-old agreed to terms on a one-year extension last week, he hasn’t – to the best of our knowledge – rescinded his trade request from earlier this summer. As many speculated at the time – including Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli – the new contract doesn’t mean Robertson’s staying put in Toronto. In fact, it may have actually been a precursor to a potential deal over the next few weeks. Don’t forget, by all accounts, Max Pacioretty has a contract in a drawer somewhere waiting to be signed ahead of the season opener in Montreal on October 9th. Translation: A Robertson trade could still very much be in the offering here.
Any way you slice it, the Leafs will have some important decisions to make in camp, and ultimately, those decisions could lead to a trade or two. Over and above all that, as mentioned, the Leafs will have to get cap compliant, which whether they like it or not, may force their hand trade-wise anyway.
Fortunately for Jackets GM Don Waddell, the Leafs possess numerous players that could be of possible interest to him. In addition to Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok, Connor Dewar, and David Kampf, among others, seem like logical trade options, too.
For now, I’m going to sit back, dunk some Oreos in milk, and see how training camp plays out.
