If the Leafs want to add a left winger, they should look no further than the Chicago Blackhawks
The Toronto Maple Leafs have long been rumoured to be in the market for a left winger to bolster their top. Well, on Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks may have made one available, who could be an intriguing option for Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.
Trusted NHL Insider Frank Seravalli revealed on Sportsnet 650 on Thursday that the Chicago Blackhawks would explore trading anyone on the roster not named Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane or Seth Jones.
By now, most have likely deduced that I'm talking about former 40-goal scorer Alex DeBrincat. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm talking about Dominik Kubalik.
There are a number of reasons why a trade for Kubalik makes a lot of sense for the Leafs, and a lot of them would also apply to DeBrincat. But what separates these two players is what the Leafs can afford. Number one, the asking price on DeBrincat would be astronomical. Number two, DeBrincat's $6.4M salary just doesn't fit into the Leafs' current salary structure.
Kubalik, on the other hand, carries a much more modest $3.7M cap hit, is a much bigger body at 6'2 than his counterpart in DeBrincat, who stands just 5'7, and Kubalik also has a 30-goal season under his belt. The other factor that makes Kubalik so alluring is that he is an RFA after this season. DeBrincat is as well, but his qualifying offer is much higher.
There are a couple of caveats to acquiring a player like Kubalik if you're Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.
1, The Leafs have to move a contract out. Nick Ritchie's $2.5M deal for this year and next is a good start, but the Leafs would also likely have to move out another player making at least $1M-$2M - perhaps Justin Holl, Pierre Engvall or the red hot Ilya Mikheyev, who appears likely to depart this summer anyway. Petr Mrazek and his $3.8M for 2 more seasons could do the trick, but then the Leafs have a glaring hole in the backup position and with not many viable internal options available to fill it.
And 2, Kubalik has been trending in the wrong direction from a production standpoint. We can likely chalk that up to the Blackhawks regressing year over year, but at least some of that is on the player. To me, what that says is that Dubas would likely not have to break the bank to get him, so that's a plus.
Kubalik might not be the sexiest name available out there, but he's a cost-effective top six scoring winger, which is exactly what the Leafs need to balance their roster. He's big, he's physical, he can score, he doesn't take a lot of bad penalties his possession metrics aren't bad and he's a Czech, and that has seemed to work out nicely for the Leafs with Ondrej Kase and David Kampf.
Most importantly, while Kubalik doesn't have a lot of playoff experience, he's pretty productive when he's been there. In 9 career NHL playoff games, Kubalik has scored 4 goals and added 4 assists for 8 points, so he delivers when it matters.
As far as what it would take to pry him away from Chicago, they're likely looking for a good, young prospect and a pick. Since the Leafs are in win now mode, I don't think they'd have any concerns whatsoever with offering up one of Rodion Amirov or Nick Robertson, plus a conditonal pick, with the condition depending on whether or not the Leafs make it to, say, the Eastern Conference Finals.
Whether or not Kubalik is even on the Leafs' radar remains to be seen, but he's certainly a player I'd take a look at if I was looking for a solid option to help improve the top 6 without breaking the bank.
