Maple Leafs management may see an opportunity to better their club and strengthen themselves up the middle, as two Western Conference teams appear to be poised to move a pair of top centers this off-season.
The Toronto Sun’s Mike Zeisberger reported on Saturday that the Leafs are among a half dozen teams that have made inquiries on the availability of Sharks center Joe Thornton.
Veteran core players Thornton and Patrick Marleau have been present for nearly all of San Jose’s playoff disappointments over the last decade and the latest first round collapse to Los Angeles in the first round has the Sharks GM poised to shake things up.
“"I want players that want to play here," Wilson told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News last week, "not just live here."
The Leafs are looking for a big center who can eat up ice time and be a central offensive force, a description that fits the former #1 overall pick to a tee, although not as a goal scorer. Thornton finished in the top 20 in league scoring, but scored only 11 goals in 82 games.
There are stumbling blocks to a potential Thornton trade, including a no-movement clause and finding a team willing to give up assets for a veteran with a $6.75 Million cap hit until 2016-17, but he may choose to waive the roadblock if he can find an acceptable landing spot.
According to Zeisberger, there are reports that the Blackhawks have shown interest in Thornton as an answer to their lack of depth up the middle and would be willing to swap winger Patrick Sharp take some of the burden off of team captain Jonathan Toews.
CBC’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the Hockey Night In Canada broadcast during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final that Canucks center Ryan Kesler has reiterated his desire to be moved to new Vancouver GM Jim Benning.
There would likely be interest on the part of Toronto in the 29-year-old two-time US Olympian, based on Leafs GM Dave Nonis and head coach Randy Carlyle’s familiarity with him from their days as part of the Canucks organization.
The Canucks are looking to retool their roster, instead of going with the nuclear option and going for a complete rebuild. That would indicate the desire to acquire young players already playing in the NHL instead of acquiring prospects or draft choices.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported just before the March trade deadline that Vancouver was looking for a center under the age of 25 in a deal for Kesler, which would suggest that Nazem Kadri would have to be a part of a potential deal, but one factor that may prevent any deal to Toronto is Kesler’s reported desire to play in the United States after playing the first 10 years of his pro career in Canada.
Kesler’s two-way ability would fit well with Carlyle’s desire to play a more defensive oriented scheme and Nonis may see Kesler as an acceptable alternative to paying free agent center Dave Bolland $5 Million per season on a long term deal.
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