A high ranking Leafs exec traveled to scout Canucks multiple times this week; is a trade imminent?
TSN's Insider Trading on Thursday was a particularly interesting one for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as it was revealed on the program that Leafs assistant GM Laurence Gilman was spotted at back-to-back Vancouver Canucks games in New York and New Jersey this week.
What does this mean? Well, typically when a team is interested in knowing about a particular player or multiple players, scouts will be dispatched to put together a scouting report on the player(s) of interest. However, when a higher ranking executive is the one scouting the games, it's usually because the team has serious interest in making a deal.
We have all heard the rumours of the Canucks exploring the idea of moving J.T. Miller, and yes, some teams have called the Canucks to inquire as to what the price might be. The Leafs are reportedly one of those teams - but the Canucks, by all appearances, are actually reluctant to move Miller.
However, according to TSN's Chris Johnston, there are two players who are more likely to move and they're both top six wingers. Conor Garland and Brock Boeser.
Garland has 4 years remaining after this one at $4.95M per season. The deal is a bit of a rich one for sure, given Toronto's cap situation. However, if the Leafs were to include Vancouver native Alexander Kerfoot in the trade package, then the deal actually becomes much more palatable for the Leafs. Kerfoot makes $3.5M this season and next.
In terms of Brock Boeser, he is a pending RFA and carries a $5.875M cap hit this season. He is also arbitration eligible and there is some concern about what Boeser may elect to do in the offseason. His base salary this season is $7.5M, which means his qualifying offer will be higher than that. The Leafs might be wise to stay away from Boeser.
If you're interested in hearing more, here's the video clip from TSN's official website.
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