The Toronto Maple Leafs should consider a trade for the best goalie alive.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should consider a trade for the best goalie alive.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should look into New York Rangers goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin, who may become a free agency this summer. Acquiring Shesterkin would offer the Leafs with the all-world netminder they have been missing for a long time.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should test New York Rangers starting goalie Igor Shesterkin.
Shesterkin is in the final year of his contract this season. While it is likely that the Rangers will do everything possible to re-sign him, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving should at the very least conduct his due diligence.
Now I understand what most people believe. There’s no way the Rangers would trade Shesterkin. This would leave the squad without a starting goalie. However, the Rangers would be unable to replace Shesterkin, at least with someone half as excellent as him.
However, whenever a top player enters the final year of their contract, there is always fear that the player would not want to re-sign with the club. Just look at Mitch Marner’s predicament. In an alternative reality, the Leafs would have either signed or traded him. Instead, the Leafs will face a media frenzy for the foreseeable future.
Thus, it’s reasonable to expect the Rangers to face a similar media frenzy the longer they go without signing Shesterkin. PuckPedia estimates that Shesterkin will earn $5.66 million this season. Given his performance, he belongs in Vasilevsky or Bobrovsky area. Of course, the Rangers will do anything they can to keep Shesterkin’s new contract under the cap.
What if Shesterkin does not want to sign in New York? Does this open the way to a deal?
Return on Trade for Shesterkin to the Toronto Maple Leafs
The greatest issue is what kind of return the Toronto Maple Leafs might provide the Rangers for Shesterkin.
First and foremost, the Rangers would need a goalkeeper. Jonathan Quick is the team’s backup. While Quick has been effective in relief, he is far from the Stanley Cup-winning goalkeeper he once was. So the Rangers will need to bring back a goalkeeper to assist handle the load.
Joseph Woll is the lone Leafs goalkeeper that may be of interest to New York. So, let’s pencil Woll into the return. But that will be insufficient to make a deal work.
The Rangers may be interested in Nick Robertson as well. Roberston is automatically included in the transaction as a result of his request. Nonetheless, Woll and Robertson failed to shift the needle.
Now, here’s where things get interesting: What if the Leafs took on Jacob Trouba’s whole contract? Of course, the Leafs do not have the cap room, but removing that enormous deal off the Rangers’ shoulders may tip the needle even further.
Nonetheless, Shesterkin and Trouba’s contract with Woll and Robertson would not be sufficient. To make the deal work, the Leafs would most likely need to add another roster player and one or two draft picks.
