Flames fan site offers up a juicy Leafs/Flames trade proposal that could work for both sides
The Leafs may be in need of a roster shake-up this summer as they look to change the identity of the team some and try to change their poor playoff fortunes. The idea of trading a member of the "Core 4" in Toronto is not a new one, as fans have been clamoring for change for a couple of summers now. However, we don't yet know whether or not the current management regime will go down that road if signing both Auston Matthews and William Nylander to contract extensions on July 1st appears likely.
IF - and it's a big if - the Leafs decide to move a member of the core, many eyes will be on William Nylander, who is entering the final year of his current contract and will be due a substantial raise. Nylander has put together back-to-back 80+ point seasons now and may be seeking a new deal with a cap hit in excess of $10M. For the Leafs, carrying 3 cap hits in the double digits is bad enough. 4 would be next to impossible.
One Flames fan site put together a very interesting trade proposal involving William Nylander on Saturday night, asking Flames fans what they felt about CGY offering up Noah Hanafin and Andrew Mangiapane to the Leafs for the highly-skilled winger. Needless to say, this one wasn't just too tough to call - it was such a solid offer that it actually seems somewhat realistic.
For starters, Nylander was born in Calgary while his father, Michael Nylander, played for the Flames back in 1996. There's a great deal of marketability there, with Nylander potentially being viewed as a hometown hero of sorts - even though he strongly values his Swedish heritage. As for the value there, Nylander is an exceptional player and at just 27 years old, he has a few prime years left.
From the Leafs' perspective, giving up Nylander would not be an easy decision, but they'd be getting a good deal of value back in the trade. Mangiapane is also just 27 years of age, and is one season removed from a 35-goal campaign. He's also a Toronto native. Meanwhile, Hanafin is a highly skilled defenseman on a very reasonable contract, earning $4.95M this season. The biggest knock on the Leafs for longer than anyone would care to admit was their blueline. While it's been vastly improved over the past few years, adding a player of Hanafin's caliber is never a bad idea. Also, there's the pre-existing history there as well. The Leafs coveted the Boston native during the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and nearly selected him with their 4th overall pick before opting to select Mitch Marner instead.
Ultimately, this one may never add up to anything more than a creative trade proposal from a fan site, but if this was a legitimate offer from the Flames to the Leafs, I'm sure Leafs GM Brad Treliving would consider it, as Mangiapane was a Treliving draft pick and Hanafin was a Treliving trade acquisition in Calgary.
| POLL | ||
11 JUIN | 2313 ANSWERS Flames fan site offers up a juicy Leafs/Flames trade proposal that could work for both sides Would you accept a Noah Hanafin and Andrew Mangiapane trade offer for William Nylander if you were the Leafs' GM? | ||
| Yes | 1659 | 71.7 % |
| No | 654 | 28.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
