Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs are perfect trade partners

The Columbus Blue Jackets have a surplus of defensemen and are looking for a forward. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to upgrade defensively and have a surplus of forwards. A trade between the two teams makes all the sense in the world.

As the 2020 NHL trade deadline approaches, teams are going to start calling each other. Usually this time of year, trades involve a seller, or a team looking for future assets, trading a player to a buyer, or a team that’s hoping to add the final piece to their Stanley Cup puzzle. However, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs could make something that’s rarely seen around the deadline – a hockey trade.

Each team has precisely what the other is seeking. The Leafs need defense and the Blue Jackets have a plethora of options on the blueline. Meanwhile, if the Blue Jackets do anything, they’ll probably trade for a young, controllable scoring wing. And they probably won’t want to give up a first-round pick to get that wing.

Let’s take a look at why these two teams are so perfect for each other and what players the other team could be interested in.

Toronto Maple Leafs

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It’s not a secret that the Maple Leafs are looking to add a defenseman. Preferably one with term, considering Tyson Barrie, Jake Muzzin, and Cody Ceci are all unrestricted free agents after this season. With Morgan Rielly out for a while, the Leafs’ need for a defenseman will likely force them to part with a young forward.

The Blue Jackets have Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, David Savard, Ryan Murray (currently on the injured reserve list), Vladislav Gavrikov, Dean Kukan (currently on the IR), and Markus Nutivaara. One can assume Jones and Werenski are off the table. As a promising young defenseman, Gavrikov likely is as well.

That leaves Savard, Murray, and Nutivaara. Savard is a capable top-four defenseman, though his possession stats are down a bit from previous seasons. He’s right-handed, which is good for the Leafs because their options on the right side are a bit shallow. Savard has a cap hit of $4.25 million through the end of the 2020-21 season.

Murray is better than most people give him credit for. When he’s on the ice, he’s quite good at suppressing shot attempts. His offense is nothing to write home about, but he’s far from a liability in the offensive zone. The issue is Murray can’t stay on the ice because he’s injury-prone. In his seven NHL seasons, he’s played in at least 60 games just three times. Murray has a $4.6 million cap hit through the end of the 2020-21 season.

Nutivaara is the guy the Blue Jackets would probably like to get rid of. He’s taken a huge step back this season, though the emergence of Gavrikov has certainly played a role in it. Nutivaara is averaging a shade over 14 minutes of ice time per game, which is the second-lowest rate of his young career. He has a $2.7 million cap hit through the end of the 2021-22 season.

Of those options, I think Savard and Murray would make the most sense. The former probably makes a little bit more sense because of the latter’s injury history and because the former is right-handed. One would think Gavrikov would be off the table, but the Leafs might have enough to persuade the Blue Jackets to trade him.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets need more from their centers. It appears they’re electing to attempt to solve this problem by upgrading the wings who play alongside them. Pierre-Luc Dubois is having a pretty good year with 38 points and has proven he’s a capable top-line center. However, Alexander Wennberg and Boone Jenner have a combined 37 points.

If it’s young, controllable forwards the Blue Jackets want, few teams can offer them what the Leafs can. Before I get started, no, the Leafs aren’t trading William Nylander. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at what they can offer the Blue Jackets.

The Maple Leafs have three young NHL forwards they could trade, plus Jeremy Bracco, who’s a prospect. First, there’s Kasperi Kapanen. Kapanen is one of the Leafs better forwards, as he has 28 points in 49 games. He has a cap hit of $3.2 million through the end of the 2021-22 season. Kapanen is probably off the table unless the Blue Jackets are willing to part with Gavrikov. And even then, I’m not sure they would trade him.

Next, there’s Alexander Kerfoot. He’s capable of taking faceoffs, but he’s not technically a center. Kerfoot’s a wing who can take faceoffs. There’s a huge difference between the two. Anyway, he has 19 points in 44 games while holding down a third-line role. Kerfoot has a $3.5 million cap hit through the end of the 2022-23 season.

Finally, there’s Andreas Johnsson. He’s probably the most expendable of the trio because the Leafs have impressive depth on the left side and they have a surplus of players who can provide the same things he can. Johnsson has 16 points in 34 games this season and has a $3.4 million cap hit through the end of the 2022-23 season.

Next. One Player Each Team Should Trade. dark

Hockey trades are quite rare this year. Usually, draft picks and prospects are the primary parts of deals. However, a trade that would send Savard to Toronto for Kerfoot or Johnsson makes a lot of sense for both teams.

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