The Toronto Maple Leafs could use a defenseman and a little cap help. That will lead to all sorts of trade speculation and one team that popped up recently in a mailbag question was the Dallas Stars. More specifically, would the Maple Leafs move a forward for a d-man?
Luke Fox of Sportsnet was asked if the Toronto Maple Leafs should trade Mitch Marner to the Dallas Stars for Miro Heiskanen. Fox says he doesn’t see it happening, mostly because the Stars have no interesting in parting with the 20-year-old, soon-to-be star. Further to that, Sean Shapiro (The Athletic) has noted that the Stars have deemed Heiskanen untouchable. It takes two to tango in the NHL and if the Stars won’t move Heiskanen for any price, Marner certainly won’t do it.
Is there another option? Shapiro did suggest the Stars would be willing to move blueliner John Klingberg. A strong offensive defenseman with a contract that could do some good for the Maple Leafs current cap issues, would the Maple Leafs do that trade?
It could be tough to sell Leafs Nation on moving Marner for Klingberg. Klingberg can play and he’s a good $6 million per season less expensive than Marner but… this is Marner.
What about Klingberg for a lesser-valued forward? Kasperi Kapanen? Andreas Johnsson? You then need to ask if the Stars would do that trade and it’s hard to imagine they would without something else being thrown in.
Maybe Not the Best Trade Partner After All
There’s certainly something that could make for a trade between the two teams but based on how one might envision each franchise values their own assets, it’s hard to know where the line is between fair trade offer and a total non-starter.
As questions about salaries start to get answered by the NHL, it will be intriguing to watch how the conversation changes, especially as cap space becomes critical and one team can take advantage of another.
Related: Pietrangelo Open to a Bridge Deal?
FLETCH
May 19, 2020 at 11:56 am
Leafs trade Kappannen for Stars Klingberg
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