Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka has already shown that he is not afraid to strike a major trade. The team’s top exec recently landed star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the deal, Toronto offloaded Matthew Knies, among other assets. Knies was coming off a 66-point season and on a team-friendly contract.
Nevertheless, Chayka saw an opportunity to improve his roster and did not hesitate to make a trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs GM could now set his eyes on Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov. If so, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel believes that Chayka would have to offer up either William Nylander or Kirill Marchenko.
According to the reporter, Nylander “makes the most theoretical sense” for Tampa. After all, the 30-year-old winger has established himself as a point-per-game NHL star. Marchenko, on the other hand, still has some work to do to reach this level. Despite this, Nylander has a full no-trade clause in his current contract and has proclaimed his desire to remain in Toronto.
Marchenko, although he only just signed a six-year, $75 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, does not have trade protection until 2028. Because of this, Siegel believes Chayka has to at least explore a trade involving the Russian with Tampa.
“Turning Matthew Knies into Marchenko into Kucherov would be some nifty asset management,” claims Siegel. “In the end, if it is actually possible, the Leafs almost have to trade for Kucherov and sign him to huge money… It may all be a pipe dream. The Leafs must explore it all the same.”
Nikita Kucherov Open to Toronto Maple Leafs Move
Kucherov shocked many around the NHL by informing the Lightning that he will not re-sign and wants a trade. The Russian is in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million AAV). He, however, is now eyeing a six-year, $20 million AAV deal in the near future. So far, Tampa has not been able to come close to this demand.
Interestingly for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kucherov is apparently open to playing north of the border. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed that the superstar winger “would consider” a trade to the Maple Leafs. According to the reporter, the two-time MVP already has a 10-team destination list. Outside of Toronto and the Montreal Canadiens, the remaining teams remain unknown.
Toronto Faces Several Obstacles in Their Pursuit of Superstar
There are, however, some substantial hurdles in a proposed swap between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Lightning. For starters, why would Tampa want to trade their best player to a divisional rival? Although Chayka could offer an attractive piece in return, Lightning brass would likely prefer to send Kucherov as far away as possible.
Money is also a major concern for Toronto. According to PuckPedia.com, the Maple Leafs are over the salary cap limit at the moment. While Marchenko signed a $12.5 million AAV deal, it does not kick in until next year. Chayka would have to do some intense juggling to make a deal for Kucherov financially work.
Since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marchenko has 14 points in 14 games. Kucherov, on the other hand, already has 18 points on the campaign. He is also coming off a 130-point season last year in which he was rewarded with the Hart Trophy. The future Hall of Famer would improve any team in the NHL, but Toronto faces an uphill battle to get a deal done.
Maple Leafs Have to Trade Marchenko to Land $76 Million Superstar