Insider links Maple Leafs to Columbus captain Boone Jenner, two others
The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta has linked the Maple Leafs to a trio of interesting names on the NHL trade market, including Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner.
There are plenty of reasons to believe that the Leafs will be very active this summer, both in the trade market and via free agency. Yet another first round exit, making it 7 in the last 8 seasons, points to the management group making wholesale changes, which likely means that the core will undergo a bit of a transformation this summer.
On Sunday, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta revealed that Leafs GM Brad Treliving may try to take a real run at re-signing Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. He also brought up the names of 3 players whom the Leafs may have a keen interest in acquiring via trade this summer.
Some players I expect to be on their radar through trade are Philadelphia's Scott Laughton, Columbus captain Boone Jenner and San Jose's Mario Ferraro."
-Pagnotta on 3 top trade targets for the Leafs
Jenner, 30, has a modified NTC, which gives him the right to submit an 8-team no-trade list. However, I'm sure that most of the teams on his no-trade list are non-contenders. The Dorchester, ON native has 2 years remaining on his current deal, which carries a $3.75M cap hit.
Ferraro, a King City, Ontario native, is just 25 years old, turning 26 in September, and has two more years on his deal at $3.25M per season. He shoots left, but the Leafs do have aging veterans like Joel Edmundson, Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie coming off the roster, so they may look to bolster their back end by adding another left shot. With age being on Ferraro's side, he could be a nice add both for right now and in the future.
Laughton, 29, is from nearby Oakville, Ontario and has been linked to the Maple Leafs on a number of occasions over the past 2 seasons. With 2 years remaining on his current deal, carrying a $3M cap hit, Laughton could provide the Leafs with some flexibility up front, as he plays both wing and center for the Philadelphia Flyers. He can also be a good stop-gap at center for a year if the Leafs move on from John Tavares next summer.
Obviously, there's more than a month remaining until the draft, which is when most of the movement will begin to occur, so I wouldn't expect a deal for any of these 3 players before that time.
| POLL | ||
MAI 12 | 775 ANSWERS Insider links Maple Leafs to Columbus captain Boone Jenner, two others Which of these 3 players do you think the Leafs would be most likely to target in a trade? | ||
| Boone Jenner | 292 | 37.7 % |
| Mario Ferraro | 66 | 8.5 % |
| Scott Laughton | 124 | 16 % |
| I wouldn't be surprised if they got all 3 | 293 | 37.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
