The Toronto Maple Leafs are between a rock and a hard place at this point in the season. They’re on the outside looking in of the Eastern Conference playoff race. At the same time, they have a talented enough club to make a push for a playoff berth.
However, their underachievement so far this season has triggered all sorts of chatter about making changes. One of the most talked-about areas is on the blue line. Insiders have mentioned the Maple Leafs’ intentions of adding another puck-moving defenseman.
But then again, reuniting two former Edmonton Oilers teammates could solidify the Maple Leafs’ blueliners. The teammates in question are Troy Stecher and Brett Kulak.
Stecher was a Maple Leafs waiver claim earlier this year. Stecher has come in and done a great job of stabilizing Toronto’s back end. Meanwhile, Kulak was a victim of a numbers game that sent him to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Stuart Skinner-Tristan Jarry trade.
As a result, the Penguins have been the subject of speculation regarding Kulak’s future. If Pittsburgh chooses to move Kulak, the Maple Leafs could be an interesting destination.
Here’s what this suggested trade could look like:
Maple Leafs get:
Brett Kulak, D
Penguins get:
Matias Maccelli, F
2027 second-round pick
This trade idea sees the Maple Leafs sending beleaguered forward Matias Maccelli to Pittsburgh. The Penguins could afford to take on his cap hit. Plus, he’s young enough to where he might find a niche in Pittsburgh moving forward.
The real prize for the Penguins is the second-round pick. Considering the Maple Leafs may be trending downward, the pick could end up being higher than expected.
How Kulak Fits into Maple Leafs’ Lineup
Kulak isn’t exactly the puck-moving defenseman Maple Leafs trade rumors posit. Nevertheless, he’s a solid defensive defenseman who could anchor the Leafs’ third pair with former Edmonton teammate Troy Stecher.
A Stecher-Kulak pairing could eliminate plenty of headaches for Craig Berube. Most importantly, Kulak is a Berube-type player. He’s tough and won’t make any silly mistakes with the puck.
Potentially, Berube could pair Kulak with top blueliner Morgan Rielly. Rielly has thrived with solid defensive partners in the past. Luke Schenn and Ron Hainsey come to mind. The most recent iteration of the Schenn-Rielly pairing yielded good results a couple of seasons ago.
So, there could be some definite usefulness for Kulak with the Maple Leafs.
Toronto Could Keep Kulak Beyond this Season
Kulak will be a UFA next summer. But his $2.75 million cap hit won’t be prohibitive for Toronto. Even if he gets a slight raise, the increase in the salary cap would allow the Maple Leafs to keep Kulak beyond this season.
Additionally, Kulak will be 32 in January. So, there could certainly be some tread left on his tires. The veteran blueliner could remain in Toronto for another three or four seasons. Considering the potential roster churn for the Maple Leafs, having a reliable blueliner like Kulak could be a decent option moving forward.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Maple Leafs Trade Idea Reunites 2 Former Oilers Blueliners appeared first on Heavy Sports.