While the Toronto Maple Leafs pushes further into Win-Now mode, their schedule construction is again under the microscope and it brings names such as Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo to trade speculation. Although neither of the players is a striking liability, both are part of a defensive core that starts to create worries in the long term, in particular from the point of view of a contract value.
A recent breakdown by House of Luszczyszyn Of the athletics on NHL contract efficiency, a large gap between the Leafs and the Elite contenders of the competition revealed. Teams such as the Panthers, Lightning and Hurricanes are not only stacked with talent – they only do it for bargain agreements. Toronto, on the other hand, is closer to the center of the competition.
According to Dom Luszczyszyn:
“The biggest problem of Toronto is age, in particular on the defense. At first glance, deals for Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brandon Carlo and even Morgan Rielly look more than honestly for the coming season and perhaps even the year after. But it is further what the value of all looks like”
They have largely avoided bad contracts (David Kämpf is the remarkable exception), but they also do not get enough high impact from their most important players.
Why consider Rielly and Carlo?
It is clear that the contract value is not the only determining factor when an NHL franchise looks at trade options. At the same time, Luszczyszyn the value of these two players can be repeated by the Leafs organization. On paper, both Rielly and Carlo have reasonable cap -hits for what they offer, but the value drops.
They make age and future value projection less attractive in the long term. Rielly, 30, still plays top pair minutes, but has a long-term deal with CAP implications that can become heavy. Carlo, acquired to bring size and stability, has not yet raised the blue line as hoped. “That leaves Toronto in a precarious position where the Leafs are deep in Win-Now mode, but probably don’t have the schedule to get it done,” the writer writes.
With the Leafs without cost-efficient contracts elsewhere and their blue line Sneling Snel, the relocation of one of these two defenders can free the cap space and allow GM Brad Treliving to target younger, high-upside players are built the type of deals championship teams.
Neither of the trade is threatening, but because Toronto seems to remain competitive in an accompanying CAP environment, Rielly and Carlo are logical names to float – not because they have failed, but because the team cannot afford stagnation.
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