Insider reveals what a package deal for Fleury and Hagel looks like for the Leafs
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli made a guest appearance on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Morning Show on this, the 2-week marker until the NHL's trade deadline. There were a lot of topics on the docket, but one of the most interesting conversations was centered around Marc-Andre Fleury.
Seravalli, one of the NHL's most trusted Insiders, pondered over what a potential deal for Fleury might look like for the Leafs, but he also prefaced the conversation with the fact that there is a caveat - and that caveat is that Fleury would need to agree to come to Toronto.
Now.. assuming Fleury would waive to come to Toronto to be the guy for the Buds' upcoming playoff run, Seravalli revealed that with double salary retention, the Leafs could add Fleury at approximately $1.75M, which is absolutely right in the wheelhouse for what the Leafs could be looking for.
Something else that was really interesting was that Seravalli suggested that the Hawks could potentially take on the contract of Petr Mrazek (2 years remaining after this season at $3.8M AAV) in a deal for Fleury. It would give the Hawks some certainty in net while they are rebuilding and could drive up their asking price in the deal, due to the fact that they'd be helping to take a potentially problematic contract off of the Leafs' hands.
In terms of what a deal like that might yield, Seravalli believes that if the deal is centered around Fleury for Mrazek ++, they could be looking at a 1st round pick and a top-end prospect. He also pointed out that since Fleury was acquired by the Hawks for essentially nothing, Fleury is found money for GM Kyle Davidson.
Obviously, there have been conflicting reports coming out over the past week - some suggesting that Fleury had asked not to be traded, and others suggesting that Fleury wants to move to a contender. If he is willing to move, could he land in Toronto?
In addition, the idea of a bigger package was brought up and Seravalli had suggested that a player like Brandon Hagel could also be of interest to the Leafs, if for no other reason than that he'd be fantastic Ilya Mikheyev insurance moving forward.
Hagel has a lot of tools that could help the Leafs moving forward, and he's signed for two more seasons at $1.5M. If Mikheyev, a pending UFA, decides to walk away in the offseason, Hagel could be a solid replacement.
If Dubas could pull it off, that would be an absolutely wild package, but it does not address the one area that Dubas himself has confirmed that he's looking to address, which is the blueline. Could the Leafs pull off a move like this and still turn around and acquire an additional blueliner? It would certainly depend on whether or not it looks like Jake Muzzin returns before the playoffs. If he is going to be out longer term, then the Leafs could use that LTIR cap relief on a defender. If Muzzin looks likely to return, the Leafs would not be able to land another defender.
This is going to be a fun deadline, folks.
| POLL | ||
7 MARS | 335 ANSWERS Insider reveals what a package deal for Fleury and Hagel looks like for the Leafs Would you like the Leafs to trade for Fleury and Hagel in a large package deal? | ||
| Absolutely | 207 | 61.8 % |
| DEFENSE!! | 52 | 15.5 % |
| I just can't see it | 76 | 22.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
