The next few months will reveal how complete the changeover of the Toronto Maple Leafs roster will be. Factors such as the amount of the salary cap for 2015-16 will have an impact on how difficult it will be for Team President Brendan Shanahan and his management staff to move big ticket players like Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul.
With the end of the first round on Wednesday, eight teams move one step closer to capturing Lord Stanley’s Cup and those they vanquished will ponder what went wrong and begin plotting strategy for how they can improve their clubs over the summer.
Moving Kessel with seven years remaining at $8 Million per season or Phaneuf with six years left at $7 Million will be a challenge, but the desperation of adding the one missing piece will give Toronto potential trading partners at or after the NHL Draft in Sunrise, FL.
Here are the seven teams that have been eliminated and who they could be interested in from the Leafs summer yard sale:
Ottawa – The prospect of Toronto trading with their division and provincial rival may be limited, but is not impossible if the Sens are willing to pay the price that the Leafs are seeking. Nazem Kadri or Tyler Bozak might be an intriguing add for Ottawa GM Bryan Murray to increase their strength up the middle after Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad.
Pittsburgh – The Pens were devastated by injuries on the blueline(Olli Maatta, Kris Letang and Christian Ehrhoff) and the dual departures of Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik to Washington last summer. Ehrhoff and Paul Martin are unrestricted free agents this summer, veteran Rob Scuderi has seen better days and Letang’s future is in question after a stroke last spring and a severe concussion in March.
Phaneuf’s contract could be too pricey with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin making in the $9 Million range, but a solid veteran defenseman like Roman Polak or Jake Gardiner with the cost certainty of four more years at $4.025 Million might entice Pens GM Jim Rutherford. The quest for wingers for the two big centers is never ending and could mean some interest in Lupul, but may necessitate taking back a bad contract back.
NY Islanders – The additions of defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy were key to getting the Isles into the post-season, but injuries to Lubomir Visnovsky and Travis Hamonic left New York blueline vulnerable late in the series against Washington. With Visnovsky’s contract off the books, adding Phaneuf might be a consideration for the prospect-laden club as they move to Brooklyn.
Nashville – Pure and simple, the Preds will never advance in the playoffs unless they can score with more regularity. GM David Poile was interested in Kessel in 2009 and is likely still intrigued by the sniper, who he has had contact with over the years through USA Hockey. Nashville is a budget team, so the $8 Million salary could be a hard pill to swallow.
St. Louis – The coaching tenure of Ken Hitchcock is hanging by a thread, but even if the veteran bench boss returns, there should be a shakeup of the current Blues group that cannot get past the first round. Kessel might make sense to be added to a group that includes a number of his US Olympic teammates, but the instability of the St. Louis goaltending could make them have interest in Jonathan Bernier.
Winnipeg – The goaltending of Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson were helpful in getting the Jets into the playoffs, but Pavelec’s problems with consistency aided in the club’s downfall against Anaheim. Rumors of interest in Manitoba boy James Reimer never go away, but a potential #1 in Bernier fits better with their aspirations of post-season success.
Vancouver – The slow-footed Canucks defense was exploited in their first-round loss to the speedy Calgary Flames. The contracts of veterans Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa expire after next season and clear over $9 Million in cap space. That could mean interest in Phaneuf or the younger, swift-skating Gardiner.
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