NHL Trade Rumors: 5 Maple Leafs who may be moved this summer

As we enter into the 2019 offseason, let’s explore which members of the Toronto Maple Leafs have the potential to be moved in the months ahead.

Following yet another disappointing exit in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves caught in one of the National Hockey League’s more closely examined cap crunches.

With the need to extend pending restricted free agent Mitch Marner — along with wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson — in the not-so-distant future, the onus is on GM Kyle Dubas to engage in a balancing act that allows the Buds to both contend for Lord Stanley’s trophy and operate from an economically responsible position. Each of the aforementioned assets played key roles in establishing the Maple Leafs as one of professional hockey’s most offensively astute teams, with Marner often dominating the broader talk circuit of the league.

The fact that Dubas must evaluate the club’s pressing need for cap space against looming issues brought about in part by administrative bodies past and present — chief among them being the stain of bad contracts, the very real threat of offer sheets and a general public caught in the doldrums — ultimately places the organization in a problematic spot. For if any measure of success is to be ushered forth over the Maple Leafs’ legitimate window for contention, you can bet that the months ahead will be absolutely crucial.

With that in mind, let’s explore five players who have the potential to serve as prime trade candidates this summer.

5. Kasperi Kapanen

Age: 22
Position: RW

When racing from end to end of the ice, the eye test dictates that Kasperi Kapanen is among the top tier — the upper one percent — of the NHL’s fastest skaters. He is expansive, hard working, resilient and tough to catch, offering a diverse network of skills that allows him to be moved throughout Mike Babcock’s lineup with a high degree of ease. Add his experience on special teams units — occasional stints on the Maple Leafs’ power play, but a staple of the Buds’ penalty kill — and the picture becomes clear: many GMs will be calling to inquire about Kapanen’s availability until a decision about his future is reached.

The sense among the majority of the Toronto faithful is that the Maple Leafs would like to keep Kapanen as part of its active roster, but the prospect of trading the 22-year-old has not yet been dismissed. It is likely that nothing will be done on this particular front until a decision is reached on the future of Mitch Marner, as rumor has it that the Marner camp is set to take negotiations beyond July 1. He is expected to begin visiting teams in the RFA offer sheet interview period, commencing on June 26.

In Kapanen, trading partners will find a sound two-way winger, who boasted 20 goals, 24 assists and 44 points in 78 games during the 2018-19 campaign. The move makes sense from an administrative perspective, in that signing the likes of both Kapanen and Johnsson remains questionable in the face of looming cap issues, while interest in the set of forwards continues to run rampant. If Dubas opts to test the market on returns for Kapanen, there should be no shortage of potential fits around the league.