Both are small, skilled forwards and not that the Leafs need more of those, but they do provide some secondary scoring - something the Leafs need more of come playoff time. Hoglander is in the final year of his current deal, but is playing in the AHL. He only makes $894K, so the Leafs would be able to fit him under their cap. They also had tremendous interest in him in his draft year, reportedly interviewing him multiple times.
Garland, on the other hand, has 4 years left at $4.95M per season. Both are under team control which is what Dubas prefers to trade for. Garland has 5 goals and 16 points this season, while Hoglander was just sent down but had just 9 points in 23 games prior to his demotion. Like Hoglander, the Leafs have had pre-existing interest in Garland dating back to his time in Arizona.
POLL | ||
28 DECEMBRE | 119 ANSWERS Leafs linked to two Pacific Division wingers Who is the better fit for the Leafs? | ||
Nils Hoglander | 18 | 15.1 % |
Conor Garland | 36 | 30.3 % |
Avoid them both | 65 | 54.6 % |
List of polls |