TSN's Darren Dreger links the Leafs to a young multi-time 20-goal scorer
The Toronto Maple Leafs will undoubtedly be one of the busier teams leading up to the NHL trade deadline - that much we know. With defenseman Jake Muzzin landing on LTIR on Wednesday due to having suffered his second concussion in less than 6 weeks, the Leafs are expected to have more than $5.6M in available cap space with which to add to their roster.
While defense remains an area of focus for Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, there has also been extensive talk of the Leafs adding a top-6 winger to the lineup. Dubas has talked about acquiring a player with term, rather than spending assets on a pure rental, so it's really anyone's guess who he could be looking at. According to TSN's Darren Dreger during an appearance on the Sekeres & Price Show, the Leafs could be eyeing someone in Philly.
While Dreger's answer appears more speculative than anything else, he did seem to identify the archetype of player that Toronto will be after. Konecny, like Vancouver's J.T. Miller (whom Toronto has also been linked to), plays a feisty, competitive game and thrive on being physical get getting under the opposition's skin.
Konecny, 24, has 3 seasons remaining on his current deal at $5.5M per season, plus the remainder of this season. He shoots right, but that does not necessarily mean that he can't play the left wing.
A player like Konecny could benefit the Leafs in a number of ways. He's physical, yes, but he also has legitimate finishing ability. He's a 3-time 20-goal scorer and he also has some power play utility as well. Adding a player like Konecny could help improve an already strong Leafs power play by bolstering the second unit.
The one issue that the Leafs might have is convincing Philadelphia to retain some salary for 3 more seasons - or to take some money back in the deal, such as Alexander Kerfoot. Even if they convinced a third team involved to take on some money for the remainder of Konecny's deal, that kind of retention is going to cost the Leafs a quality asset - perhaps one they would not want to part with.
| POLL | ||
24 FEVRIER | 211 ANSWERS TSN's Darren Dreger links the Leafs to a young multi-time 20-goal scorer Would you like to see Konecny in a Leafs jersey? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 51.2 % |
| No | 47 | 22.3 % |
| Don't care - just win, baby! | 56 | 26.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
