Podcast host proposes interesting swap between the Leafs and Jets

While the Leafs' most urgent need isn't exactly in goal, there's no question that a former Vezina Trophy winner would be a substantial upgrade over a trio of goalies in Toronto that consists of Matt Murray, Ilya Samsonov and rookie Joseph Woll. Having said that, a deal for Hellebuyck is not an easy one to pull off both for cap reasons and because of his immense value.

Over the weekend, one podcast host proposed an interesting trade scenario between the Leafs and Jets centered around Hellebuyck. SportsIsFun's Marty Zylstra pitched the idea of Hellebuyck and hulking defenseman Logan Stanley for William Nylander and a conditional 1st round pick to fans on his personal Twitter account. The deal was overwhelmingly in favour of "Leafs say no", but it certainly got me thinking; is there any deal surrounding a Hellebuyck for Nylander swap that does make sense for the Leafs?

Nylander is coming off of a 40-goal, 87-point season and is really coming into his own as a star in this league at 27 years of age. Conversely, Hellebuyck, a recent Vezina Trophy winner (2020) and has been at the top of his game for some time. He's 3 years older than Nylander, but, as we've seen with goalies in recent years, it's not exactly uncommon for a goalie in his 30's to play at the top of his game. Think Carey Price in 2021 or even Sergei Bobrovsky in this year's playoffs.

As far what might constitute a fair deal, we've seen goalie trades in the past yield some pretty underwhelming returns, so there's no real guarantee that the return for Hellebuyck with one year remaining would be a runaway win for the Jets. If the Leafs are offering a 40-goal winger up in the deal, they might not need to add anything to put together a competitive offer. However, with Murray, Samsonov and Woll all under contract for next season, it might make sense to work out a bigger deal surrounding Samsonov and Nylander for Hellebuyck and Dubois.

This deal gives the Leafs a legit 2C and allows them to shift Tavares over to the wing and a true #1 netminder who can shoulder a heavy load this season and provide a veteran presence for Joseph Woll to study under. The Leafs can then move Murray in a subsequent deal and roll with a Hellebuyck and Woll tandem.

For the Jets, they'd be bringing in a good young winger to maybe entice Scheifele to extend and a quality young goaltender in Samsonov to soften the blow of losing Hellebuyck, who isn't re-signing in Winnipeg anyway. The move doesn't exactly set the Leafs up for the long-term, but it does give them a chance to compete for a Cup next season with what could be an ultra-competitive lineup.