Maple Leafs mailbag
Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star: (mailbag) If choosing between keeping Kasperi Kapanen or William Nylander, would keep Kapanen. Nylander is a better playmaker and the potential option to be a center is an intriguing thought though. Nylander’s contract could be an issue but there are also other salaries that they could move to create cap space.
If Nylander can become a center, you can add Nazem Kadri to Patrick Marleau and Nikita Zaitsev as players the Maple Leafs could move to create cap space.
Believe that GM Kyle Dubas will be looking for a young right-handed defenseman. Alex Pietrangelo carries a $6.5 million salary cap hit which might be too much of the Leafs unless they sending Nylander to St. Louis.
Kapanen also needs a new contract and it might mean that one of Marleau, Kadri, Zaitsev or Nylander could be moved.
Trading for a defenseman like Niklas Kronwall makes sense but get the sense that GM Dubas may not see that value of adding a rental.
The Sabres not interested in trading a first-round pick for a rental
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Elliotte Friedman on 630 CHED and was asked if teams may be more willing to trade their first-round draft picks this year due to the perceived lack of depth in the bottom end the first-round.
The Buffalo Sabres have four first-round picks in the next two drafts and was told that they are not interested in moving one for a rental player. Now, if it was for a young player …
“And I heard they that were thinking of moving one of those picks to give them a better shot this year. And I looked into it, and I was told it wasn’t happening. That they’re not doing it for a rental. Now, if you want to do it for a 22 or 23-year-old player that they’re going to have under control for awhile, and they would consider giving up a first-rounder for, then they would consider it. But they’re not doing it for a rental. And if a team that feels like they’re going to be in the playoffs is thinking that way, the teams that are out – you don’t want that.”