SDPN: (YouTube) Chris Johnston and Julian McKenzie on The Chris Johnston Show talking about whether there are any trade targets that may interest the Toronto Maple Leafs.
**NHLRumors.com transcription
McKenzie: “But I’m also just wondering, like, who else, when it comes to certain other trade targets that may very well be applicable for Brad Treliving within the Leafs?
Johnston: “I don’t think it’s a protracted list right away, truthfully. , I don’t think there’s that many players that we term ‘available’ that may play the sort of role the Leafs you’re on the lookout for. I type of wonder if, in the long run, this isn’t something the Leafs and possibly another teams actually try to unravel this summer, because, you understand, Toronto doesn’t have all that much to trade either, right? That’s it. That’s the opposite side of this.
I did mention a number of type of bottom six players on the roster (Nick Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok, and David Kampf) that I could see being moved for various reasons, whether it’s as an incentive because someone likes them on the market, or to clear somewhat bit more cap space, and even just clear roster space, because you may only carry so many players, and there wouldn’t be room for everybody. Obviously, some players can be subjected to waivers when you didn’t remove, when you keep, kept adding bodies into the team.
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, possibly this finally ends up being a longer-term project. I mean, it’s too soon to say that definitively, it’s only July seventh. There’s, there’s all the time some things that might pop up that I feel no one sees coming. Or we’ll see how a few of those arbitration cases go, all that, all that happens here.
But, you understand, it could be a protracted summer in Toronto. I feel on the lookout for that option, because the purpose, the reality is, there’s not, there’s not an inventory of 10 wingers that might fit with the Leafs are on the lookout for which are available, I don’t think.
And so in the event that they aren’t capable of, or don’t have the will to get in on, you understand, someone like, like a Bryan Rust or (Rickard) Rakell, possibly (Jared) McCann. I mean, I just don’t know where, what doors you’re knocking on at this cut-off date.
, I do know the least did have interest in (Nikolaj) Ehlers, and just wasn’t a fit from the players end of that equation, but he was someone actually I feel Toronto had, you understand, some interest in as a free agent, but, you understand, they weren’t alone there, right? Nikolaj Ehlers had quite a lot of options.
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So, you understand, some teams are gonna should get creative, I suppose is my takeaway from where we’re going this summer, and the Leafs can be, you understand, at the highest of that list. Because I, you understand, they’ve lost Mitch Marner, they’ve, you understand, they’ve added some players that they’ve a very good reason to be ok with.
But I mean, they, they’re going to wish somewhat more offensive pop. And a few of that, I feel, they’ll count on, coming from Austin Matthews having, you understand, hopefully, for his sake, a healthier season, and if that’s the case, that will take a more productive season. But you understand, it’s not all going to be internal step-ups there.
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So, you understand, we’ll see, we’ll see where the, every little thing lands here. But, you understand, I don’t think it’s going to be like a wild week. We would get a pair trades, you understand, that’s what I used to be winking at with that initial tweet. But I feel that is going to be a protracted, drawn-out process in places, and I could see Toronto being considered one of those places.
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