A trade is coming to make the Leafs cap compliant; Some think it's Kerfoot, some think it's Holl, but there's a very real third option
The Leafs wrap up training camp and the exhibition schedule having gone 5-2 in their 7-game run, but will now shift their focus to Monday's 5pm deadline for teams to become cap compliant.
Fortunately for the Leafs, the depth they had throughout camp was incredible, so no matter what, it seems like the Leafs will be able to ice a competitive roster from top to bottom. The bad news? The Leafs are still approximately $2.14M over the cap and will need to move out at least one body to become compliant with a 20-man or 21-man roster
Leafs Nation has long been calling for both Alexander Kerfoot and Justin Holl to be traded and, honestly, there are very strong arguments to be made for either candidate. But, what if there was a third option for the Leafs that would allow them to retain both Kerfoot and Holl? Well, there is. The Leafs could instead opt to move Pierre Engvall, who made his preseason debut on Saturday after missing most of training camp with a foot/ankle injury.
Holl has provided us with some highs, but also plenty of lows. However, with a banged up blueline and the fact that that he's the only right-handed defenseman on the roster at the moment with Timothy Liljegren sidelined, it might make sense to hold onto him.
Meanwhile, Kerfoot comes with a $3.5M cap hit, but can play both wing and center and can play both in the top six or the bottom six, depending on where you need up. He also has some PP and PK utility as well, so as much as fans of the team may not like to admit it, Kerfoot definitely does have value to the team.
The other aspect that comes into play here is the fact that Denis Malgin, Pontus Holmberg, Alex Steeves, Adam Gaudette and Nick Robertson all had very good training camps and all of a sudden, the Leafs are rich with depth talent up front. That might make Engvall expendable, especially since Engvall is a pending UFA and will likely walk for nothing next summer.
The Leafs inked Engvall to a 1-year contract on July 17th, which pays him $2.25M. Should Kyle Dubas opt to move Engvall and keep Kerfoot, who is coming off of a career-best 51 points last season, they could also afford to sign Zach Aston-Reese, who also had a very strong camp, to an NHL contract at or near the league minimum and carry a 21-man roster. Here's how it could look:
I think Kyle Dubas, Brandon Pridham and Sheldon Keefe are going to look at all options and leave no stone unturned over the next day or so to put together what they feel is the best possible roster. There's a lot on the line this season and we know that Keefe trusts both Kerfoot and Holl, as he has deployed them in plenty of important situations over the past couple of seasons.
Engvall didn't really emerge as a viable NHL option for the Leafs until last season. Keefe has put Engvall on blast in public before, stating that he demands more of the 6'5 Swede. It was only last season where Engvall decided to rise to the occasion, but he didn't exactly blow anyone away during the playoffs.
To me, if the coaching staff trusts Kerfoot and Holl, then the next logical option to move is Engvall. Kerfoot can center the 2nd line in the event of an injury. Holl has been trusted in the past to shut down Connor McDavid and has done so successfully. For Engvall, he sort of just seems like a jack of all trades, but a master of none. He's a guy I could see Dubas and Keefe deciding to move to piece together the most competitive roster possible.
| POLL | ||
9 OCTOBRE | 782 ANSWERS A trade is coming to make the Leafs cap compliant; Some think it's Kerfoot, some think it's Holl, but there's a very real third option Will the Leafs keep Kerfoot and Holl and trade Engvall instead? | ||
| Yes, Envgall is the right trade piece | 493 | 63 % |
| No, they'll trade Kerfoot | 112 | 14.3 % |
| No, they'll trade Holl | 177 | 22.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
