Équipe: 2021-22 Maple Leafs de Toronto

Date de création initiale: 5 août 2021

Publié: 5 août 2021

Mode - plafond salarial: Basique

Jensen Trade:
At the moment, the Capitals are in a little bit of cap crunch as they have to resign their goalie Samsonov. If they run the 12 forwards that currently are on their roster, 6 defensemen (Carlson, Orlov, Schultz, Kempny, Jensen and Fehérváry) and Vanecek, the Capitals have $3.5M to resign Samsonov. I don't think it is unrealistic that they bridge him at around $2.5M. This leaves them with around $1M in cap space. They have Trevor van Riemsdyk as well that has a cap hit of $950K which I at the moment can't see being waived. He is a legit #6 defenseman on every team in the league. With him on their roster, they have no cap space and only 21 players. I feel like it would be unrealistic to expect them to run that the whole season. I think they are going to make at least one move to free up some cap flexibility. They have veteran D Matt Irvin signed as a very good 8th option but would be good as a 7th option as well. Jensen was their 6th most used defensemen last year and had almost exactly the same average time on ice as van Riemsdyk. Jensen together with Chara was the Capitals go to penalty killing d-pair which would be tough for Washington to loose. van Riemsdyk also played on the penalty kill when playing but not as much as Jensen. They both had really good results.

My point here is that the Capitals already have someone that they know can play on their 3rd pair and play on their penalty kill with success. They essentially do the same thing although Jensen is better, but costs $1.6M more. Trading van Riemsdyk won't do much as it doesn't open up enough cap space to have two healthy scratches. Trading Jensen would do this. with Irwin as their 7th D and on the roster, the Capitals would have $1.87M left in cap space (that is if Samsonov sign for $2.5M). This would enable them to comfortably have two extra forwards on the roster for $935K each and have a 23 man roster under cap ceiling.

I understand that they can look to move other players but I feel like this move would hurt the Caps the least. They won't need to find a replacement and can gain assets that can be used for something else.
What would the price be? I think you have to look at the Dillon deal and say that it would be pretty similar. I feel like a 2nd and a 3rd would be a fair price based on the current market.

What role would Nick Jensen play on the Leafs? The exact same one as he did with the Capitals. He is defensively excellent and would be a perfect partner for Sandin this year. For the games with Liljegren in the lineup, he could be moved to play with Rielly while Brodie can ''babysit'' Liljegren. He would be great on the Leafs PK as well which is much needed. I definitely think he is an upgrade on Dermott, and he has a veteran presence which I think is a bonus.

Dermott Trade:
Personally I really like Dermott. He is a really good #5 defenseman on most teams in the league and I still think he has the potential to become a #4 with some more experience. The problem with him in Toronto is that I feel that him and Sandin are too similar to work in a d-pair. Sandin maybe brings a little more offense while Dermott is better defensively. There is no question that Sandin's ceiling is higher than Dermott's which is why I think it makes sense to move him, especially if you can acquire a guy like Jensen. At the moment, I think Arizona makes the most sense. He can play on their 2nd or 3rd pair depending on how good Gostibehere plays for them. He is relatively young, cheap and under contract for another year for a very reasonable cap hit. He can be flipped later for just about the same as he was acquired for or even more if he develops further. I feel like this is a pretty safe bet for Arizona.

What would Dermott cost? I think he would come cheaper than both Dillon and Jensen. Jake Bean got a 2nd and he still has a lot of potential. Zadorov got a 3rd, but his contract is going to come in way more than Dermott's $1.5M. I feel like a 3rd and 4th would be a realistic target for the Leafs and shouldn't scare teams away from making a deal.

Kerfoot Trade:
Kerfoot is also a player that I like very much. I definitely think that he is underrated and only got spoken about with some respect after putting up some points in the playoffs. I think people who expected him to score at the same rate he was at in Colorado with the role he has had with the Leafs is dreaming. He could definitely be a 15 goals 40 points guy if he played an offensive role. His smarts with stick positioning, defensive angling and understanding of game situations has made him play a shut down role which he does well, but there is more to his game. If he plays with Tavares and Nylander for a full season, the noise about him being overpaid are going to disappear quickly. Unfortunately for him in this situation, he is someone that is going to have to be moved. I can see multiple destinations for him. A team with a hole on their 2nd line LW could use him, or a team that need a versatile 3rd line option with the potential to fill in higher in the lineup could use him as well.

My suggestions for trade destinations would be Buffalo, where he would help them reach the cap floor especially with Eichel's imminent trade. Nashville, where he could replace Järnkrok's versatility. Carolina, where he could build an excellent line with Staal and Fast. Calgary to be a versatile top 9 option. Winnipeg, if Copp is too expensive for them. San Jose to be a versatile top 9 option. I think all these places are legitimate fits for him, but they can obviously go for other targets as well. Foegele got Bear in return, Pitlick got a 4th, Dickinson a 3rd, Lemieux got a 4th. I feel like Kerfoot realistically could fetch a 3rd and a 5th from the team trying to acquire him.

Leafs Outcome:
Starting from the backend, I think the Leafs come out stronger than they started. On this team with what is asked of the player playing in that role, Jensen is a better fit than Dermott. He is a PK specialist and can also be a safety blanket for Sandin when played together. Something that Dermott at the moment doesn't offer in my opinion. Loosing Kerfoot obviously weakens the team as a forward option disappears. However, his salary in this scenario needs to be moved and there are options that can fill the hole that Kerfoot leaves. With this setup, the Leafs forward group is set to having a 2 offensively dominant lines a complete shut down line and a line that can produce offense sporadically with players that can move up in the lineup if they are hot. Someone like Kase can start to play on a really sheltered line with Spezza and Simmonds to ease in and see how it goes as he has missed so much hockey the over the last year. If he performs well and is ready for top 6 minutes, he can play with Tavares and Nylander while either Bunting or Ritchie move down in the lineup. All the players on the shutdown line had above 63% in defensive zone starts last year and are comfortable playing that role. This line will be crucial for the team. Finally, the Leafs also get to re-stock their pick cupboard somewhat which is heavily needed.

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