Maybe the most obvious trade target for the Leafs is also the right one
There have been an abundance of rumours linking the Leafs to various players ahead of this year's trade deadline, with one of the most common being St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly. The Buds have also been linked to the likes of Jakob Chychrun, Timo Meier, Jake McCabe, Patrick Kane and more.
What most of the Leafs' top rumoured trade targets seem to have in common is that very few of them are actually what they need - a top six scoring winger. Naturally, Patrick Kane and Timo Meier meet that criteria, but with Kane's $10.5M cap hit and Meier's $10M qualifying offer, there's a pretty good chance that the Leafs steer clear on both accounts. However, there is one obvious candidate that isn't getting nearly enough attention - one that the Leafs can afford with a more reasonable amount of salary retention. He also happens to be a Stanley Cup Champion.
Vladimir Tarasenko's name has been in the rumour mill for 2 consecutive seasons now and despite the fact that he was not moved last season after requesting a trade, there is degree of certainty that he'll be moved this year given the Blues' current place in the standings and Tarasenko's status as a pending UFA.
Tarasenko's $7.5M salary would cost the Leafs just $3.75M at 50% salary retention, which more or less means that he'd be able to provide an upgrade over Alexander Kerfoot at a very similar cost, however, the Leafs could conceivably acquire him for even less by getting a third team involved to retain some additional salary. If this is the route the Leafs decide to go, they could bring Tarasenko on board for just $1.875M - pretty incredible if you think about it.
We know the money can work and we know that there is a positional fit, but the cost of acquisition is the real hurdle here. Tarasenko is having a bit of a down year, which should help bring down the cost at least a little. His status as a pending UFA also means that he's not likely to bring back a package that exceeds the one that the Islanders gave up to acquire Bo Horvat from Vancouver. Horvat is also several years younger than Tarasenko, which would also likely decrease the amount that the Blues could reasonably expect to bring back in a deal for the 31-year-old winger.
In terms of the on ice impacts, Tarasenko has produced 29 points in 38 games this season and had a career-high 82 points in 75 games last season. He has also scored 41 goals and 60 points in 90 career playoff games, so he'd certainly be able to help to produce some additional offense for the Leafs behind the core 4.
So, the positional fit is there, the likelihood to move is there, the playoff success is there and the ability to fit him in is there. It all really comes down to how much the Leafs are willing to pay here. If Tarasenko were to bring back 3 pieces, much like what Horvat was able to return for Vancouver, perhaps the Leafs would be able to pry him away from the Blues for a 1st round pick and a prospect or two.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 7 | 560 ANSWERS Maybe the most obvious trade target for the Leafs is also the right one Is Vladimir Tarasenko the right trade target for the Leafs at the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 188 | 33.6 % |
| No | 202 | 36.1 % |
| Depends on the cost | 170 | 30.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
