Insane Proposal Asks Maple Leafs to Trade for Dumped Player

Most people have heard Albert Einstein’s cogent definition of insanity. As he put it, insanity is “doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.” Who would disagree? But how would it work in hockey, especially when a team is considering a crucial trade? Here’s an example. A recent Toronto Maple Leafs trade proposal (for Jared McCann) is almost laughable by the depth of its irony – a nearly perfect example of insanity in action.

---

---

The Proposed Deal for Jared McCann

The trade proposal was first generated via PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool. It sees the Maple Leafs re-acquiring Jared McCann in exchange for Easton Cowan, Nick Robertson, and a 2026 first-round pick.

Maple Leafs fans might not know McCann’s name right off the bat. But the team already had him. On July 17, 2021, the Penguins moved him to the Maple Leafs for Filip Hallander and a seventh-round pick. McCann stayed with the team for – count them – 20 days. On July 20, 2021, the Kraken claimed him in the expansion draft. The rest is history. The Maple Leafs protected two players now no longer part of the team – Justin Holl and Alex Kerfoot.

Great for the Kraken by Choosing McCann

It was a bad choice for the Maple Leafs, but who knew? McCann had not yet shown his ability. The most goals he had scored in a few seasons was 14, which isn’t bad but isn’t great either. But good on the Kraken. McCann turned into a solid player after being chosen. He scored 27, 40, and 29 goals in his three seasons with Seattle. He turned out to be a good player and likely would be good with the Maple Leafs, too.

In the third year of a five-year, $25 million deal, McCann would line up as the Maple Leafs’ third-line center. In that role, the trade proposer is right. He’d probably give the team needed secondary scoring. This season, he has already registered 36 points (scoring 14 goals and adding 22 assists) in 48 games.

Now the Trade Proposal Moves into the Twilight Zone

But here’s where the trade becomes both steep and insane. It asks that the team give up two unknowns in Easton Cowan and the 2026 first-round draft pick for McCann in a trade. Even steeper, it asks the Maple Leafs to trade a third unknown if you count Robertson. Robertson’s last season’s goal total was his best – at 14 goals. It’s precisely the best total McCann had scored before he laced up his skates in Seattle.

This trade could become another potential blunder, only three times over. The suggested deal echoes past missteps and questions whether the Maple Leafs are on the verge of repeating a mistake in their history.

McCann is the kind of reliable scorer Toronto needs. However, trading away three unknown assets (potential McCanns themselves) could be like dealing with acid reflux. It could turn into an unpleasant reminder of something you’ve already endured.

Einstein’s Definition of Insanity Sits as a Warning 

The proposed trade not only revisits Toronto’s McCann blunder but also raises the specter of repeating it. If McCann was once an unknown with underestimated potential, Cowan and the first-round pick are similarly unknown quantities. Robertson has equaled McCann’s best goal total before he landed in Seattle, and he’s added as an afterthought? The Maple Leafs must ask themselves: are they willing to part with three assets for a player they previously undervalued?

Do they want to go down that road again, but this time risking three assets? If only one of the three explodes, nuts! If two players make it big, add another expletive in this space _____. But the horror of all three having solid NHL careers. Big Oops.

The Bottom Line for the Maple Leafs: Avoid the Trade

While reuniting with McCann in a trade could address Toronto’s current roster needs, the trade’s implications are risky. The Maple Leafs would be wise to heed Einstein’s definition of insanity and avoid making a move that echoes their past mistakes. With Cowan, a first-round pick, and even Robertson holding untapped potential, the team should focus on strategic, forward-looking decisions rather than revisiting old misjudgments.

Ironically, the best way to move forward might be to resist the urge to go back.

Related: The Good, Bad & Ugly in Maple Leafs 7-3 Win Over the Habs