Maple Leafs should buy low and trade for Elias Pettersson

"The Toronto Maple Leafs remain a team with some significant upside. They haven't quite fallen into the decline phase that all contending teams eventually face. That said, the Maple Leafs could be looking to find the next crop of players to prop up their window of contention. As such, looking around the league for value in overlooked places is a crucial component of that approach."

"In particular, a thought comes to mind: What if the Maple Leafs could be a place where beleaguered Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson could thrive? That's the idea that insider Darren Dreger communicated during the January 13 edition of TSN's Insider Trading. During the discussion, Dreger pointed out that Canucks are not necessarily looking to move Pettersson. But they would, amid their incipient rebuild, consider moving Pettersson."

"While the idea of adding Pettersson as the Maple Leafs' second-line center sounds good on paper, making it happen would be wrought with pitfalls. The most obvious situation is his cap hit. Pettersson's contract is essentially untradable. It carries an $11.6 million cap hit for the next six seasons. Given the contract's remaining years, it's unlikely the Canucks would want to retain anything on it."

Toronto remains a contending team with upside but may seek new players to extend its window of contention. Elias Pettersson could thrive with a change of scenery and might approach point-per-game production again if placed on a contending team like Toronto. Vancouver would listen to offers amid an incipient rebuild, though they are not actively trying to move him. The primary obstacle to a trade is Pettersson's contract. The $11.6 million cap hit across the next six seasons is essentially untradable. Any acquiring team would likely have to absorb the full cap hit, creating substantial roster and cap risks for Toronto.

Read at Editor In Leaf