With only a few days remaining before free agency begins on Wednesday, the speculation of possible trades for the Toronto Maple Leafs is wild and crazy. Some hockey writers are proposing that John Gibson would solve all the Maple Leafs’ problems in goal. Most have also waved goodbye to Ilya Mikheyev as he’s boarded the last train to wherever.
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Some writers believe that Rasmus Sandin will be offer-sheeted. And, Jack Campbell will likely take the money and run to join old friend Zach Hyman in an attempt to join forces with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in an attempt to win another Stanley Cup for the Edmonton Oilers.
These rumors are popping up faster and more furiously than Vin Diesel drives.
A Trade Idea from a Regular The Hockey Writer’s Reader
In the conversation section of a recent Maple Leafs’ post, regular The Hockey Writers’ reader BossSause threw out an interesting idea for a possible trade.
BossSause noted that he was talking to a person after the draft who went out of his mind because “Dubas went and wasted another first-rounder.” BossSause went on to say that, admittedly, Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas made a mistake when he signed goalie Petr Mrazek. However, he noted that the trade that moved Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks was an excellent move.
(Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Expanding BossSause’s thoughts a bit, another trade he suggested could also be with the Blackhawks. Specifically, could the Maple Leafs might take advantage of the Blackhawks’ obvious desire to tear things down as the franchise engages in a total rebuild?
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He then suggested that we start our own rumor about a trade between the Blackhawks and the Maple Leafs that brought one-day Hall of Fame hockey star Patrick Kane to Toronto as a way to give the Maple Leafs’ a second line with some increased jam.
The Logic of a Trade for Patrick Kane
Here’s the logic of the trade and how the trade would work out.
BossSause noted that the Blackhawks are admittedly rebuilding and need choices or prospects to get things rolling. Chicago gathered a large number of choices at the 2022 Draft and the Maple Leafs could provide some of the prospects.
Looking at the Maple Leafs, BossSause noted that it was abundantly clear that there really isn’t a spot for Rasmus Sandin even though he has such promise. But instead of risk losing him to an offer sheet, why get something for him?
In addition, Nick Robertson has been toted for being a hot commodity but has never been able to crack the team’s line-up. As well, given the physical likeness that Robertson (at 5-foot-9, and 164 pounds) shares with Alex DeBrincat (5-foot-7, and 165 pounds), might the Blackhawks see him as a possible DeBrincat clone? They are about the same size.
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With Matthews Knies coming into the fold at the end of the year, Robertson’s spot isn’t guaranteed. With that in mind and Chicago needing some NHL-caliber players to mentor its youngsters, Dubas should pre-arrange a deal that, after signing Sandin to a two-year contract for $2 million a season, he moves Sandin, Robertson, Alex Kerfoot, and Justin Holl to Chicago for Patrick Kane.
Kane Is Rumored to Be Upset About the Rebuild, Would He Move?
The word is that Kane isn’t happy to be part of a rebuild. Might Kane, who’s from nearby Buffalo, New York, want to move to a high-caliber team like the Maple Leafs? The Blackhawks wouldn’t be required to hold any money back for Kane; and, when the dust settled, the Maple Leafs would take on $1.5 over what they just traded away.
(Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As a result, the Maple Leafs’ second line would now consist of John Tavares (who’d play the left-wing position), William Nylander (who’d play the center position), and Kane (who’d play the right-wing position). Tavares would still take the majority of the face-offs.
What Other Possible Trades Do Readers Believe the Maple Leafs Could Make?
As BossSause noted in the conversation, what do other readers think? What other well-thought-out and logical trade options might the team undertake? Good question, and don’t hesitate to share these in the conversation section.
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As BossSause noted, his ultimate goal was to upgrade the Maple Leafs’ second line without tearing the team apart. If you have a trade suggestion, what would your ultimate goal be?
The Old Prof (Jim Parsons, Sr.) taught for more than 40 years in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. He’s a Canadian boy, who has two degrees from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate from the University of Texas. He is now retired on Vancouver Island, where he lives with his family. His hobbies include playing with his hockey cards and simply being a sports fan – hockey, the Toronto Raptors, and CFL football (thinks Ricky Ray personifies how a professional athlete should act).
If you wonder why he doesn’t use his real name, it’s because his son – who’s also Jim Parsons – wrote for The Hockey Writers first and asked Jim Sr. to use another name so readers wouldn’t confuse their work.
Because Jim Sr. had worked in China, he adopted the Mandarin word for teacher (老師). The first character lǎo (老) means “old,” and the second character shī (師) means “teacher.” The literal translation of lǎoshī is “old teacher.” That became his pen name. Today, other than writing for The Hockey Writers, he teaches graduate students research design at several Canadian universities.
He looks forward to sharing his insights about the Toronto Maple Leafs and about how sports engages life more fully. His Twitter address is https://twitter.com/TheOldProf