There is a way for the Leafs to acquire a top six winger without breaking the bank, but it's a risky move
The trade deadline is looming and rumours are flying in every direction. It's a fun, but confusing time to cover the NHL. It's even more difficult for those who cover the Leafs. The famously tight lipped front office typically doesn't leave so much as a crumb of evidence as to what their plans are. Even trusted insiders like Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman are often wrong about the Leafs' plans. This leads to rampant speculation without much evidence behind any of it.
What we do know is that the Leafs would be a better hockey team if they could find a bona fide scorer to take over the second line left wing slot currently being occupied by Calle Jarnkrok. It's hard to believe with so much firepower on this team, but their biggest issue in the playoffs the past few years has been goal scoring. Over the past 4 seasons, the Leafs have gone 0 for 17 on the power play in 8 potential series clinching games. 5 of 8 of those games were decided by a single goal. In fact, since 2019, the Leafs have scored just one goal in the third period of any series clinching game. You can say they need toughness, you can say they need defense. I say they just need a timely goal.
This brings us to the trade deadline debate. Who should the Leafs get, and how much should they be willing to pay? Names like Meier, O'Reilly and Tarasenko have been thrown out, but they would all come with a massive price tag. Dubas always seems to surprise us, however, so I'm going to go out on a limb and throw a new name out there. Jakub Vrana.
Vrana has fallen out of favour in Detroit. In fact, he is currently playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins - the Wings' AHL affiliate. The 26-year-old winger spent time this season in the NHL's player assistance program for undisclosed reasons before being sent down to the AHL, clearing waivers along the way. There is certainly some baggage here that will need to be addressed. Having said that, Vrana is an extremely talented player, he's scored 20 goals and recorded 32 points in 39 games since signing with the Red Wings. The issue is that those 39 games have now been spread over two and a half seasons thanks to shoulder surgery and the aforementioned time with the Player Assistance Program. There is a risk involved in acquiring him, but the cost, even with the Red Wings retaining half of his $5.25 million cap hit, should be very low. His contract also runs through the 2023-24 season, so he wouldn't be a pure rental either.
If the Leafs want to bolster their offense without giving up their first round pick or Matthew Knies, Vrana could be the answer. Rumour has it the Wings will buy out his contract if they are unable to find a trade partner, so the cost will be minimal. The Leafs invest heavily in staff to monitor and maintain their players' mental health. Vrana could find himself in a situation where the support group around him is finally able to unlock the potential that is so obviously there. It's a low risk move based on the assets going the other way, but if it were to work, Dubas would come out looking like an absolute genius.
The risk associated, of course, is related to the potential man games lost due to injury and/or whatever has ailed him this season. However, with the Leafs' medical staff being what it is, perhaps Toronto is the right place for Vrana to sort out whatever the issue is. A change of scenery might do him some good and with the Leafs being a top tier organization who spares no expense for the overall health and wellness of their players, there could be a fit both on the ice and off.
| POLL | ||
7 FEVRIER | 217 ANSWERS There is a way for the Leafs to acquire a top six winger without breaking the bank, but it's a risky move Could Jakub Vrana be a good fit for the Leafs? | ||
| Too much baggage | 36 | 16.6 % |
| He'd be amazing with Marner and JT | 28 | 12.9 % |
| Only if the price is extremely low | 111 | 51.2 % |
| Are you nuts? No! | 42 | 19.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
