Toronto could solve their forward AND defense needs with one swing at the deadline, according to a Leafs correspondent
The Vancouver Canucks admitted that they were entering full rebuild mode last week when they traded Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders and are open for business as they try to acquire future assets for a handful of players that many teams would find useful during the playoffs. A pair of those players, Conor Garland and Luke Schenn, have had their names in the rumour mill far longer than they probably would like, but with just three weeks until the deadline, they won't have to wait much longer - and they could both find themselves headed to Southern Ontario.
The Leafs are reportedly interested in adding a forward to play in their middle-six and a defenseman with some sandpaper to his game - a bit of a "Jake Muzzin" type - as insurance in case there are further injuries to an already battle-tested blueline. The issues for the Leafs are that they A) don't have much cap space and B) they don't have as many tradeable assets as some of the other interested teams. However, according to Joshua Kloke of The Athletic, there is an opportunity for the Leafs to be able to add both players without subtracting much.
Schenn is a former Leaf as they selected him fifth overall in the 2008 draft, but was traded when the Leafs acquired James Van Reimsdyk from the Philadelphia Flyers. Schenn has gone on to become the NHL's all-time leader in hits for defensemen and has two Stanley Cups to his name. Not only that, but he has had a bit of a resurgence in Vancouver playing top-4 minutes and averaging 17:12 TOI per game with 18 points in 50 games. On the Leafs, Schenn would instantly slot into the third pairing, as he should be an everyday player and it would give the Leafs a sound defensive replacement for Jake Muzzin. At a cheap, $850K for the season, Schenn can easily fit in, even with the Leafs' cap constraints.
Up front, acquiring Conor Garland would give the Leafs some cost certainty going forward as he has 3 years left on his deal that will pay him $4.95M per season. He would also fill the need of a scoring left winger for the second line, but can also be used in a more defensive role depending how Sheldon Keefe decides to adjust his lineup.
The overall trade proposed by Kloke and Canucks writer Harman Dayal is Conor Garland and Luke Schenn for Alexander Kerfoot, Leafs' 2024 second round pick and the Leafs' 2023 third round pick with the Canucks retaining 25% of Garland's salary for the remaining 3 years of his contract.
Some may not agree with trading Kerfoot given his versatility, but Garland is undoubtedly an improvement over Kerfoot. Kerf has fallen down the Leafs' depth chart lately, sometimes playing on the 4th line, and could find himself in a new uniform come the trade deadline anyway, since he is a UFA at the end of the season. With Garland at 25% retained, his cap hit would be just over $3.7M the next 3 seasons. This deal also saves the Leafs from having to include their first round pick and/or Matthew Knies in a trade, since they'd be doing the Canucks a favour instead of them having to buy Garland out this summer.
*Contract numbers provided by Cap Friendly*
| POLL | ||
8 FEVRIER | 291 ANSWERS Toronto could solve their forward AND defense needs with one swing at the deadline, according to a Leafs correspondent Should the Leafs swing a deal with the Canucks to bring in Garland and Schenn with Kerfoot a 2nd and a 3rd going the other way? | ||
| Yes | 193 | 66.3 % |
| No | 98 | 33.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
