The Cost The Leafs Would Have Had To Pay To Land Vatanen?
After the New Jersey Devils landed defenseman Sami Vatanen last week, many Leafs' fans were puzzled that the team didn't try to match the deal to land the 26 year old defenseman. A right handed shot, it's a plausible thought that he could have slotted in beside Morgan Rielly on the team's top pairing. Many wondered why the Leafs didn't throw together a package involving center Tyler Bozak to match the Devils offer of Adam Henrique.According to Steve Simmons, the deal just wouldn't have made sense from the Ducks point of view with Vatanen signed for two more years while Bozak is an upcoming unrestricted free agent. Henrique is signed until the end of the 2018-19 season with a cap hit of $4million. So what NHL roster player could have realistically landed Vatanen? Simmons mentions it would have probably taken Nazem Kadri to make the deal. Most Leafs' fans would agree that Kadri is an important part of the team's core and is arguably considered untouchable. Add to the fact that Kadri is signed until the 2021-22 season at an affordable cap hit of $4.5million, it's hard to see the Leafs making a move like that. Would you have given up Kadri for Vatanen?
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