Insider says a former Leaf may end up back in Toronto at the deadline
After spending most of his career as a KHLer, Alexander Barabanov has settled in very nicely with the San Jose Sharks over the last 2+ seasons after being dealt by the Leafs to the Sharks - so much so that there is mutual interest in re-upping the Russian forward. However, the price tag might be a little high for the basement-dwelling Sharks, which means they might look to deal him around the trade deadline.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period brought out his top-25 trade targets as we near closer to the deadline. At the top of his list are the usual suspects from Calgary but Barabanov entered the fray at number 15:
TEAMS REPORTEDLY LINKED: Winnipeg, Toronto"
The Toronto Maple Leafs are an interesting team for the simple fact that they had Barabanov in 2020-21. After spending his entire playing career in the Russian circuit - with 7 years in the KHL - Barabanov signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs ahead of the shortened 2020-21 season. He only played 13 NHL games with one assist to his name and another 2 games with the Toronto Marlies with 2 goals and 5 points.
He was traded to the Sharks ahead of the deadline for Antti Suomela and immediately made an impact with 3 goals and 7 points in 9 games. He then scored 10 goals and 39 points in 70 games in 2021-22 before adding 15 goals and 47 points in 68 games last season. On the year he currently has 3 goals and 9 points in 29 games.
In late October, Barabanov was sidelined with an undisclosed injury for an extended period of time. It was later revealed that he broke his finger and ended up missing a month and a half of hockey. Since his return, he has 9 points in 23 games, while averaging 16:42 TOI.
The soon-to-be UFA would be a welcomed addition to the Maple Leafs bottom-6 as he brings about a good level of skill, aggressiveness, and secondary scoring - something the Maple Leafs desperately need right now.
The asking price from the Sharks might be high considering his cap hit is just $2.5 million and that the Sharks have interest in bringing him back into the fold next year. However, if Brad Treliving wants to address the scoring woes in the bottom-6, while not trying to get into an unnecessary bidding war for some of the bigger names, then Barabanov may be a potential target.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 28 | 432 ANSWERS Insider says a former Leaf may end up back in Toronto at the deadline Should the Leafs bring back Alexander Barabanov at the deadline? | ||
| No | 189 | 43.8 % |
| Yes | 96 | 22.2 % |
| Depends on the ask | 147 | 34 % |
| List of polls | ||
