Top six winger….check, goaltending insurance….check.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was successful in knocking off his club’s two greatest needs on their shopping list on the day before the NHL Trade Deadline and still has cap space to make another move before 3pm Monday due to some cap space maneuvering over the weekend.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Dubas and Asst. GM Brandon Pridham maximized the Leafs deadline cap space to nearly $6.5 million on Saturday by moving to within $15,000 of the cap limit before putting goalie Frederik Andersen on long-term injured reserve(LTIR) and then demoting two players to the taxi squad.
That cap space enabled Toronto to acquire winger Nick Foligno from Columbus for a 2021 first round pick, a 2022 fourth round pick and the Blue Jackets retaining 50% of his salary, and a 2021 fourth round pick going to San Jose for minor-league winger Stefan Noesen and the Sharks retaining 25%. That means the Leafs have only $1.375 million of the veteran winger’s $5.5 million cap hit on the books.
Pumped to be a Leaf, thank you! Surreal from all the memories I have of you and that team from 93’! https://t.co/BnpybCTK1O
Dubas also hedged his bet regarding the health of Andersen late Sunday night in acquiring goalie David Rittich from the Calgary Flames for a 2022 third round pick, with the Flames retaining 50% of Rittich’s $2.75 million cap hit
The 28-year-old Rittich has a 4-7-1 record, 2.90 GAA and .904 save percentage in 15 games with the Flames backing up Jacob Markstrom this season after splitting time with Mike Smith and Cam Talbot the previous two years in Calgary and represents an upgrade as the #3 over Michael Hutchinson.
The Czech native’s two best starts came against the Leafs in late February, when he stopped 34 shots for his only shutout of the season and made 37 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss. Rittich does not have to quarantine as Riley Nash and Foligno due coming from the US, and since the Flames are in Toronto, Rittich may make his first start in the second of back-to-back games against his former team on Tuesday.
Foligno will be traveling to Toronto to begin his seven-day quarantine, but based on the uncertainty of the Leafs upcoming schedule with back-to-back games against Vancouver slated for next weekend, the first time we may see the veteran winger is April 21 in Winnipeg.
The only question yet to be answered by Dubas before 3pm is whether the Leafs are done. Toronto does have enough cap room to add if Andersen remains on LTIR for the rest of the regular season and Toronto’s only need yet to be addressed is a depth defenseman.
TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated on 1050’s First Up that possible depth defenseman options potentially available for the Leafs are Jamie Oleksiak of Dallas, Chicago’s Nikita Zadorov, Michael Del Zotto of the Blue Jackets, and Erik Gudbranson of the Ottawa Senators. Other possibilities may include Sami Vatanen of the New Jersey Devils and Victor Mete of the Montreal Canadiens, both who were placed on waivers on Sunday.
Watch our Buzzcast Trade Deadline coverage this afternoon on Hockeybuzz:
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