According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Toronto Maple Leafs have Detroit Red Wings forward Luke Glendening as a potential player of interest.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a unique connection to the Detroit Red Wings. Not only are they Original Six rivals, but Leafs head coach Mike Babcock used to coach for the Red Wings. It shouldn’t come as a surprise he’s interested in his team trading for some of his old players. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, Babcock would like the Leafs to acquire Luke Glendening.
This report comes from Frank Seravalli from TSN. The Leafs expressed interest in Glendening last year as well. So it’s safe to say this interest is legitimate.
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Babcock coached Glendening in two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15) before departing for the Maple Leafs. In 138 games split between those two seasons, he put up 25 points in a bottom-six forward role.
Glendening’s cap hit of $1.8 million over the next two seasons after this one could be tricky for the Maple Leafs. However, if the Red Wings decide to retain half of his cap hit each season, suddenly a trade becomes far more realistic. At $900,000 a year, Glendening would be a solid fourth-line option for the Leafs.
The big question is how much of an upgrade would he be? Glendening would probably struggle to find a spot in the Maple Leafs lineup this year. Especially since Frederik Gauthier and Par Lindholm have been pleasant surprises.
However, don’t kick this rumor aside. This summer, the Leafs have to worry about re-signing Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, and Lindholm. Johnsson’s the only one who is arbitration eligible. Even if the Maple Leafs manage to keep all of them, they’ll likely have to move a forward or two to become cap compliant.
In that case, the Leafs might have a spot open for Glendening. Especially if the Red Wings are willing to retain half of his contract.
Babcock is clearly a fan of Glendening. However, general manager Kyle Dubas might not feel the same way. It should be interesting to see how the Leafs navigate the perils of the salary cap. Glendening might not be a reasonable option now, but he might be down the road.
For more NHL trade rumors, check out our Rumors page.