The Calgary Flames are going down in proverbial flames, with many top-end players wanting out of the organization. This is a reasonable time for a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a move and improve their team. The Maple Leafs need some players to help them get through the hard push of the playoffs, and Calgary could offer everything they need. With new Flames general manager (GM) Craig Conroy’s back against the wall, old Flames GM and current Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving could make one of the most significant trades in hockey and get everything Toronto needs in one move.
Flames Have Assets the Maple Leafs Could Use
With several players stating they will not re-sign with the Flames, Calgary is in a challenging position. They want to be a playoff team but don’t want to lose any of their players for nothing when they become free agents. Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Tyler Toffoli, and Mikael Backlund have stated that they will not sign extensions with the club. That would be two of the Flames’ top centers and their top pairing defenceman not returning, along with a top-six winger. If Calgary needs to move these players, then it would almost make sense to do a rebuild. If the Maple Leafs want to take advantage, they must devise a plan to make a trade that could work for both teams.
The Maple Leafs require a top-pairing defenceman, a top-six winger, a third-line center that can move into the top-six, and possibly a goaltender if they feel Ilya Samsonov is not a valid number-one goalie. If they could swing a deal, Toronto could get all three of these pieces in one move from the Flames. There have been suggestions that the Maple Leafs could move William Nylander to Calgary for some of the players that could be available. This type of trade could help fill one of the voids in Toronto’s lineup, but if they could move a more significant piece of their lineup, they might be able to fill all the holes.
Matthews Wants to Stay a Maple Leaf, But They May Not Be Able to Afford Him
If the Maple Leafs can’t get an extension signed with Auston Matthews soon, they have to start looking at the bigger picture, which is not having control of him after July 1. After July 1, Matthews’ no-movement clause kicks in, and for the last year of his contract, the Maple Leafs will be unable to move him without his permission. If Matthews decides he will not re-sign or Toronto feels they can’t work out a deal, he could walk at the end of next season. So far, it looks like the Leafs are doing everything in their power to keep Matthews, whether it be a short-term contract or a long one, and he also has said he wants to stay.
Related: Maple Leafs Should Trade Matthews By July 1 if Negotiations Fail
Matthews could be asking for as high as $14 million per season. If true, it would make him the highest-paid player in the NHL. He also might want a short-term rather than a long-term deal, which would make more sense for Matthews, but maybe not for the Maple Leafs, at least not at that price. A short-term deal may not hurt Toronto badly; it would just raise the annual average value (AAV), which would be lower in a long-term eight-year agreement. Treliving is in a tricky spot; he needs to keep his stars, but with all four contracts ending in the next two seasons, he must decide whether he can keep them all and, if he can’t, which ones to move and when.
Maple Leafs Have a Couple of Trade Options With Flames Involving Matthews
We all know Treliving is not afraid to make a big move involving top players; he did trade Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau before last season, so he could be the perfect GM to trade a player of Matthews’ stature, and the Flames are the ideal team to deal with right now. Toronto could move Matthews to Calgary for not one but two or more of the top players that want out. The Maple Leafs could get Toffoli, Hanifin and Jacob Markstrom for Matthews, filling two holes and giving experience and insurance in net. Hanifin joins their top pair, and they got a top-six winger to play with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Moneywise, with the Leafs having over $9 million in cap space, the $11 million they create by moving Matthews leaves them with over $20 million. The package from Calgary will cost only $15 million, leaving cap space to sign other players.
Another scenario would involve Matthews for Toffoli, Hanifin and Lindholm. Markstrom may not be the answer in nets, and Samsonov has played well enough that he may not be anything to worry about. Lindholm would help replace the loss of Matthews at center and give the Maple Leafs a solid second-line center behind Tavares. Toffoli and Lindholm were one and two in team scoring this season for Calgary and had 56 goals. Although they are not the talent that Matthews is together, they can still strengthen Toronto’s top two lines and improve the team’s chances in the playoffs where it counts. Either option dramatically enhances the Leafs, and they all involve Toffoli, a multiple 30-goal scorer.
Calgary fans may shake their head at this, but all players involved except Markstrom have expiring contracts next season. The Maple Leafs are gunning for a Cup, while the Flames are stuck in a season where they could either try to go for it or blow the entire thing up. At least if they get Matthews, they can try to sign or flip him at the deadline and get an enormous package involving picks and prospects to help push their rebuild. Then again, they could probably get a boatload of picks and prospects for the players they have now, but wouldn’t it be exciting to have one of the top players in the NHL play for your team, even if it’s for one year?
