One of the ongoing storylines surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs is their reported search for a blueline upgrade. While that’s old news, the fact is that there hasn’t seemed to be anything worthwhile pop up in the market.
Until now.
According to Chris Johnston’s most recent trade board in The Athletic, Nashville Predators defenseman Nic Hague is on the board.
And that’s someone the Maple Leafs would do well to check in on.
Now, there’s nothing to indicate that the Predators are actually looking to move the 27-year-old. But as Johnston noted, Nashville is looking to overhaul its defense corps. So, there may be an opportunity there for Toronto.
“The Predators are looking to remodel their blue line, and Hague’s name has surfaced in some talks. The towering defenseman gets around the ice well, especially considering his size (6-foot-6, 245 pounds), and played a career-best 19:38 per night last season. Hague plays with physicality and has a modest amount of offensive skill. There are no trade restrictions in his contract this season.”
It’s worth noting that there are “no restrictions,” meaning that Hague does not have a no-trade clause. That’s something that will surely make him more attractive this season.
While Hague could be that upgrade the Leafs are looking for, especially in the bottom pairing, there are a couple of things worth considering here.
Predators likely won’t take a veteran blueliner from Toronto
A talking point regarding the Maple Leafs desired blueline upgrade is the possibility of swapping an older defenseman for a younger one. That’s going to be tough with Nashville. It would be hard to see the Predators taking someone like Oliver Ekman-Larsson or even Troy Stecher in exchange for Hague.
Now, there might be something to be said about sending Morgan Rielly. But with Rielly gradually rediscovering the game that once made him the Maple Leafs’ number-one defenseman, GM John Chayka may have some reservations about trading Rielly.
So, that leaves the Maple Leafs in a tough spot. They’ll have to send someone out, especially to fit Hague’s $5.5 million cap hit. And that’s precisely why anything Toronto does at this point has to be a money-in, money-out type of situation.
Maple Leafs Will Still Need to Sign Hague
Unless the Maple Leafs view Hague purely as a rental, the organization will have to sign him after this season. He’ll likely get a raise from his current cap hit, potentially making him a little too rich for Toronto’s britches.
It’s not the money per se that’s the problem. It’s the lack of cap space that would make this deal extremely hard to pull off without some money leaving.
Perhaps Chayka can leverage some of the LTIR money to fit Hague’s cap hit in this season. But that would only buy the Maple Leafs GM time to figure out what to do next season.
Ultimately, the Leafs are trying to thread a fine needle. The good news is that the lineup is close to being fully healthy. That situation should greatly alleviate the need to find an upgrade immediately.
Hague might just become a July 1 situation, should he be available then.
Maple Leafs Could Find a Blueline Upgrade in Nashville