Confirmed deal :Trade Proposal Has Maple Leafs Acquiring $92 Million Star in Blockbuster Deal

 

 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in their Stanley Cup window and one NHL analyst believes the team needs to make a big swing for a star forward.

NHL analyst James Turner of Leafs Nation has the Maple Leafs making a blockbuster deal for Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson.

 

The proposed deal from Turner would be a blockbuster. Toronto would acquire a superstar forward while Vancouver gets a hometown player and finally gets a top-four defenseman which is a major need for the Canucks.

 

Pettersson is in the first year of his eight-year $92.8 million deal but his name has come up in trade talks. The Swede has skated in 34 games recording 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points. Pettersson could be the Maple Leafs’ second-line center and add some insurance should Mitch Marner or John Tavares leave in free agency

 

In return, Toronto would deal Rielly who’s a fan-favorite and a key part of the D-core. However, with the Maple Leafs having Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jake McCabe locked up long-term, Toronto could opt to move Rielly for an impactful scorer. Rielly is in the third year of his eight-year $60 million deal. He’s skated in 39 games recording 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points.

 

Turner believes the trade does make sense for both teams.

The NHL analyst thinks Pettersson needs a change of scenery and could help the team with offense. Vancouver, meanwhile, desperately gets the defensive help they need.

 

Toronto may have the perfect fit for Vancouver in Morgan Rielly,” Turner wrote. “There is no denying Rielly’s offensive skills on the blue line. If the Canucks are looking for the offensive defenceman archetype, they would be hard-pressed to find a better candidate. It’s unlikely the Canucks would accept a one-for-one deal, but throwing in a second-round pick could sweeten the pot just enough to get a deal done. The $4.1 million difference in salaries would also require the Leafs to make additional moves to stay under the salary cap

 

Like with Marner, Rielly’s NMC would require his approval for a trade to happen,” Turner added. “Unlike Marner, Rielly was born in Vancouver and played amateur hockey in western Canada in the WHL. So it’s not the craziest idea that Rielly could approve a deal to the Canucks. A potential pairing of Rielly and Quinn Hughes or Rielly and Filip Hronek could be a force on the ice.”