The struggles on Toronto’s blue line are well documented. This entire season the Maple Leafs have hoped the additions of Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and reliance on Jake Muzzin would turn transition the team from offensive powerhouse to Stanley Cup contenders. That hasn’t exactly happened.
Struggles on the part of Barrie that then turned into injury issues and the looming future of all three as free agents has left the organization with questions about what to do moving forward.
Meanwhile, players like Kasperi Kapanen have proven to be good value for their contracts and interest around the NHL into acquiring his services should the Maple Leafs look to improve their defense is obvious. Speculation is that a number of teams have informed the Maple Leafs that should they decide to move Kapanen, they’d like to receive a phone call.
This interest around the league was recently confirmed by Pierre LeBrun who spoke on TSN radio about Kapanen’s future and said, “I still talk to some teams that value him and like him. If he were to be made available I don’t think the Leafs would have a hard time gaining value in a trade involving him.” LeBrun added that he believes a trade isn’t just possible, but likely.
“In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if they did deal him,” LeBrun noted. But, LeBrun thinks a deal wouldn’t come until the offseason.
Related: A Big Market For Maple Leafs’ Kasperi Kapanen?
The Tricky Situation for the Maple Leafs
For the Maple Leafs and GM Kyle Dubas, this is tough spot to be in. Kapanen is a forward the team doesn’t really want to move. At the same time, they know moving him nets the organization the best possible return. LeBrun notes management isn’t considering a trade because they have a poor view of their up-and-coming forward, they simply know you have to give to get.
Kapanen’s contract makes him attractive around the NHL. He’d be an easy trade to facilitate and in today’s NHL, trades aren’t always easy to make work considering how much the salary cap comes into play. Essentially, Kapanen’s contract has all the right components that make a trade almost inevitable.
LeBrun noted, “… because of the pressure of the cap and the pressure of having to figure out the defense moving forward next year, I think he’ll be one of the expendable parts.”
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