Ban Price trades
Rejoint: oct. 2017
Messages: 6,482
Mentions "j'aime": 6,455
Okay but how does this trade help the Leafs win now, and how is it addressing their blueline?
Dubas isn't a jackass and knows that if he's moving Nylander, both of those questions need to be satisfied. Otherwise, there's a slough of players that can be moved before Nylander to free up cap space. Look at what happened to the Oilers when they moved Hall or when the Panthers dumped Marchessault: every team in the NHL should have made a note that you don't throw away a scoring forward unless you have another one coming back, or if the value is there.
His splits since signing haven't been great, and on the surface it seems hard to justify 33p/82GP at his cap hit, but it's important to remember that his conditioning wasn't there. Very little training compares directly to competition against NHL players. If you look at his splits since the turn of the new year, his production is higher (40p/82gp). Once he finds his groove, he'll return to form, and then he'll be at about market value for a player of his calibre. His recent streak is marred a bit by the injuries the Leafs are dealing with right now, and to an extent, Kapanen having a groove with Matthews right now.