Detroit reporter believes a blockbuster trade is possible between the Leafs and Red Wings
It's that wonderful time of year again. The weather is so hot your shoes are melting into the sidewalk and the Leafs are once again watching the Stanley Cup finals from the sidelines. Despite taking down the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning in round 1, the Leafs and their fans aren't satisfied with the way the season ended. With Brad Treliving taking over GM duties from the Pittsburgh-bound Kyle Dubas, rumours are swirling around his vision for the team.
All eyes in Toronto are currently fixed on Auston Matthews. The reigning Hart Trophy winner saw a drop in production this season, but is still trending towards becoming the highest paid player in the NHL this off-season. In Calgary, Treliving traded for names like Dougie Hamilton, Noah Hanifin and MacKenzie Weegar. Obviously a strong defense corps is very important to him. Trading Matthews, although not something I would agree with personally, would free up a mountain of cap space and could bring back a bona-fide elite defenseman at the same time.
One GM reportedly looking to take a big swing this summer is Wing's GM Steve Yzerman. Nylander would be an excellent candidate for Detroit and could compliment Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin nicely. The Leaf's asking price for their superstar would be steep, however.
With a number of Leafs being a potential fit in Detroit, and with the Wings having so many young assets and draft picks, perhaps there is something to the idea that the two teams could come together on a deal this summer. According to Ansar Khan, if the Wings want to try to take a run at someone like Matthews, the conversation would start with 2022 Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider and pieces would have to be added from there.
He also went on to mention in his piece linked below that if the Wings were interested in going after William Nylander, they could use one of their first round picks and a couple of their second round picks to put together a strong package. Honestly, I can't see any of this happening. It's wishful thinking from a writer who looked around the league for scoring and realized you don't find an Auston Matthews or William Nylander very often. Matthews is a special player and Nylander is really coming into his own over the last couple of seasons.
Honestly, much of this seems like wishful thinking from a fanbase starved for elite talent. As Brad Treliving said in his introductory presser, it's hard to find elite talent. I don't see the Leafs parting with it if they can avoid it - unless of course the trade package is undeniable.
Source: MLive Red Wings
| POLL | ||
JUIN 3 | 1589 ANSWERS Detroit reporter believes a blockbuster trade is possible between the Leafs and Red Wings Would you trade Auston Matthews for Seider++? | ||
| Not a chance | 1043 | 65.6 % |
| We need a change, but not sure I'd move Auston | 267 | 16.8 % |
| Seider is a stud, do it | 279 | 17.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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