Leafs reporter reveals that the team can acquire Timo Meier and keep him long-term while keeping the current core together
With the NHL trade deadline quickly approaching (March 3rd), trade talks are starting to intensify. Last week, we saw a blockbuster deal between the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues. In the trade, the Blues sent forward Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers, a player who was leading the trade bait list for a while. Another player on that list is San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans want to add a top-six winger. Meier would be perfect for playing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. With the addition of Meier, the Leafs can run two star-studded lines which could be the move that puts them over the top this postseason.
Jonas Siegel, a reporter for The Athletic, believes that the move for Meier would be complicated but doable. With the "Core 4" and Morgan Rielly eating up about 60 percent of the Leafs' cap space, you may be asking how this is possible. The Leafs have a few options, depending on what they are willing to give up. They can sign Meier long-term or sign and trade him to reacquire the assets they would likely had to have given up to bring him to Toronto in the first place.
Forwards Pierre Engvall and Alexander Kerfoot are both on expiring contracts freeing up about $6 million in cap space and the additional wiggle room with Jake Muzzin remaining on the LTIR. Siegel suggests that the Leafs go out and sign Meier to an 8x$8.5M deal, which means the likeliness of keeping a guy like Michael Bunting is almost next to none. You then have your goalie situation to sort out. Matt Murray is signed under contract past this season, but Ilya Samsonov is an RFA. This implies that the Leafs would be even more top-heavy than they are right now, with losses to the roster coming in the goaltending department and in the bottom six.
By extending Meier, you are looking at a thinner lineup past your first two lines. This is where the Leafs would need to rely heavily on Marlies graduates and have got to hope you can re-sign David Kampf, who's been a solid piece. Then again, the Leafs' plan is unclear. If they do trade for Meier and sign him long-term, what does that mean for extensions to a guy like William Nylander, who is due for a big pay raise in 2024? The question is, what is the price, and will Kyle Dubas be willing to pay it?
Nonetheless, the acquisition of Meier is possible, which is a great look for the Leafs top six - one that could be the difference maker. This is a "win-now" season for the Leafs and one has to wonder whether it makes more sense just to go for it and sort out the rest later. It might be time.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 13 | 316 ANSWERS Leafs reporter reveals that the team can acquire Timo Meier and keep him long-term while keeping the current core together Do you want Timo Meier in a Leafs uniform this season? | ||
| 100% yes | 151 | 47.8 % |
| No, I don't think so | 39 | 12.3 % |
| It really depends on the price | 126 | 39.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
