Stastny adds to the already deep and talented forward group in Carolina and provides another veteran presence that can be spread throughout the young talent. While the deal puts the Canes $2.6M over the cap, both Max Pacioretty and Jake Gardiner are candidates to start the season on LTIR.
As the Canes continue to revamp their roster this season, the Leafs have not made any major changes aside from bringing in Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov to tend the twine - though the Calle Jarnkrok add is not insignificant.
Stastny would have been a solid fit on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander and could have allowed Sheldon Keefe to experiment with Tavares on the wing at times. Instead, the Leafs have held onto Alex Kerfoot because of his versatility. Had they dealt Kerfoot and signed Stastny, the Leafs would have already had the cap room to resign Rasmus Sandin even before moving Holl to free up an additional $2M in cap space.
The Canes felt they needed a change after being stagnant in the playoffs the past couple of seasons, and unlike the Leafs who have stood pat for the most part, Canes GM Don Waddell made multiple significant changes.
