The Toronto Maple Leafs were not part of the most consequential NHL trade day in recent memory, but it does appear that Leafs GM John Chayka is laying the groundwork for a number of deals leading into the NHL Draft in Buffalo this weekend. The rumors regarding winger Matthew Knies may be quieting after one rumored suitor made a major trade on Tuesday, as the Chicago Blackhawks dealt the fourth overall pick, defenseman Louis Crevier, and a second-round pick to Buffalo for defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Jordan Greenway.
The fourth overall pick was rumored to be the main piece being sought by Toronto in a deal for Knies. With Buffalo now in possession of a top-five pick and rumored to be in on Knies, that potentially does not end the possibility of a deal, but the Sabres are likely to be looking to make a major move to replace the departing Alex Tuch as well as Byram. To move the 23-year-old power forward inside their own division would require the Leafs to get overpaid, and it would be surprising if GM Jarmo Kekalainen included another top prospect like Radim Mrtka or Konsta Helenius in a deal for Knies.
One possibility involving the Sabres could be defenseman Brandon Carlo. On Tuesday, insiders, including The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, TSN’s Darren Dreger, and The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported that Carlo’s name has begun to pop up in the rumor mill. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of a six-year deal, making $3.485 million, and with the Leafs looking to become more mobile on the blueline, his being dealt would make sense. That does not mean that Toronto GM John Chayka is looking to dump Carlo, as right-handed blueliners are a sought-after commodity.
Buffalo inquired about Carlo’s availability last summer, but former GM Brad Treliving was not open to moving him after giving up a first-round pick and Fraser Minten, and with him having two years left on his contract. The Leafs could retain 50% ($1.74 million) to facilitate a better return for Carlo as well, which could be necessary if he is moved to a contender with limited cap space.
Things have progressed on the Morgan Rielly front. According to Dreger, agent JP Barry has submitted a list of four Western Conference clubs that the 32-year-old blueliner is willing to go to, and that there could be some flexibility in terms of teams being added to the list. One has to be thankful that some in the online and commentator world are not general managers, since they seem anxious to devalue a commodity like Rielly, who is still a capable defenseman, but is not capable of playing top-pairing minutes any longer.
A Rielly deal is fraught with peril for Chayka, since he is likely wanting to clear his $7.5 million salary, but has to get something back of value, otherwise the trade is a mistake the Leafs will regret.
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