The Toronto Maple Leafs are likely to look to cut salary this offseason and are linked to trading a veteran forward.
The Maple Leafs acquired bottom-six center Nicolas Roy from the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade for Mitch Marner. After acquiring Roy, NHL analyst Thomas Williams of EditorInLeaf urged the Maple Leafs to trade Calle Jarnkrok.
“Jarnkrok might just be too expensive and not exactly the type of player Craig Berube wants to play in his bottom six,” Williams wrote. “But, he has just one year left with a $2.1-million AAV, and some team might want to add his experience to their middle six.
“Chicago? San Jose? A return to Nashville? Some team could see Jarnkrok as a solidifier of their forward depth and pay a mediocre draft pick for that,” Williams added. “Toronto is going to need to clear out some roster bloat if they want to make some key additions to this team. These three forwards specifically are names to be on the look for when it comes to sending some players out.”
Jarnkrok has one year left on his four-year, $8.4 million deal with the Maple Leafs. The veteran forward dealt with injuries last season. He skated in just 19 games, recording 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points.
Kampf Could be Another Trade Option For Maple Leafs
Along with Jarnkrok, another player that Toronto could trade is David Kampf.
Kampf was a healthy scratch during the season and playoffs as his role is diminished. The veteran forward has two years left on his four-year, $9.6 million deal, and Williams thinks the team could look to trade him.
“With the addition of Nicolas Roy, and Scott Laughton having one more year left on his deal, there remains one massive question: Where exactly does David Kampf play? With two more seasons of a $2.4-million AAV, Kampf is an expensive 13th forward to have on the team, and one that provides zero offense to go with his above-average defense,” Williams wrote.
“Considering the player and the contract, it is difficult to imagine the Maple Leafs getting anything of value back for the player, and most likely, they would have to give him away for free in a Radek Faksa-esque trade that sent the similar center to St. Louis for future considerations, or attach a low-end pick or prospect to clear some room on the cap sheet and roster page,” Williams added.
The veteran forward had 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in 59 games. He skated in 1 playoff game.
Toronto currently has just under $5 million in cap space.
Roy Eager to Play for Maple Leafs
By trading Marner to Vegas, Toronto was able to acquire Roy, who can be a third or fourth-line player for the Maple Leafs.
Roy is from Quebec, but says he grew up a Maple Leafs fan. With that, he’s excited to play for Toronto and deal with all the pressure that comes with it.
“The pressure of the moment, that’s really what I enjoy,” Roy said. “I really like to play in those big moments. I think that’s what we play for as hockey players. So obviously I’m bringing the Stanley Cup experience that I’ve got with me. But I’ve got a lot of experience in the playoffs as well.”
Roy won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023.
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