The Toronto Maple Leafs have to make up 27 goals and 75 assists left behind by trading Mitch Marner to the Pacific Division heavyweight Vegas Golden Knights. They’ve done that by committee in adding Matias Maccelli, Michael Pezzetta, and Dakota Joshua. But, a team with Stanley Cup aspirations should swing a little bigger.
Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs solve their goal-scoring conundrum by adding both Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Maple Leafs Acquire:
- Bryan Rust ($5,125,000)
- Rickard Rakell ($5,000,000)
Penguins Acquire:
- Nick Robertson ($1,825,000)
- Jake McCabe ($4,491,898)
- Matias Maccelli ($3,425,000)
- Easton Cowan ($873,500)
This proposal would land the Maple Leafs two forwards who could make their top nine forward group one of the best in the entire NHL.
They would land Rust, a 33-year-old veteran winger with two Stanley Cup rings. The 5-foot-11, 198 lb forward was drafted 80th overall by the Penguins in 2010. Rust posted a 31-goal, 65-point season last year in 71 games played.
In this proposal, the Maple Leafs would also acquire Rakell. The 6-foot-1, 191 lb forward was the 30th overall draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2011. The 32-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 35 goals and adding 35 assists, for a 70-point season.
The Penguins acquire a top-four defender and three young forwards, helping to round out the team as they head into a rebuild.
Maple Leafs Add Coveted Trade Targets
Rust and Rakell have been two of the top 10 trade targets identified this summer. David Pagnotta has them ranked fifth and sixth on his Summer Trade Board.
“Rust has three years left on his contract and his full no-movement clause expired at the end of June 30,” Pagnotta wrote of the 33-year-old. “There is already plenty of interest out there, and with Pittsburgh in sell mode, he could be had, but will command a high package if the Penguins part with him.”
Pagnotta also reported that the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets are two other teams interested in Rust.
“Rakell generated a lot of interest ahead of this past season’s trade deadline,” Pagnotta wrote of Rakell. “And with Pittsburgh open for business, his name is circulating once again. He has three-years left on his contract and has an eight-team no-trade list.”
The Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, Ottawa Senators, and Chicago Blackhawks are cited as teams interested in the 31-year-old’s services. However, that doesn’t mean that the Maple Leafs haven’t at least sniffed around.
Adding two players who scored 66 goals last year would give the Maple Leafs a much-needed boost, and more than make up for the loss of Marner.
Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe Can Help Penguins’ Blueline
A report by James Murphy in RG explained that the Maple Leafs are looking at adding more offense to their blueline.
“They need that offense from the backend,” Murphy wrote. “They need that guy on the powerplay…and the Leafs gotta make up that offense with Marner gone.”
Needing to add offense is the primary reason the Maple Leafs would be willing to part with Jake McCabe. The 31-year-old blueliner is a defense-first defender, something that the Penguins need more of.
“In the words of Michel Therrien, ‘they were the worst defensive team in the league, ‘” Josh Yohe of The Athletic said in the most recent episode of The Athletic Hockey Show podcast. “It’s just a pathetic blueline, it’s really, really bad.”
Maple Leafs Linked to Penguins
The Maple Leafs and Penguins have multiple connections. Kyle Dubas drafted Nick Robertson and acquired McCabe while he was the GM of the Maple Leafs. Elliotte Friedman recently linked Robertson to the Penguins, too.
Yohe has also reported that the Penguins want young players who can contribute to the team.
“I keep going back to what several team sources have told me: Dubas wants to go young next season,” Yohe wrote at the end of July.
This blockbuster deal can make sense for both organizations, or at least be a starting point.
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