The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t afraid to make moves, backlash be damned. Since trading away Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, they have added Dakota Joshua, Matias Maccelli, and a few others in the hopes of addressing the lost offense.
Heavy.com proposed a deal that would solve the Maple Leafs’ scoring woes for a long time. This proposal would see them acquire Adrian Kempe from the Los Angeles Kings.
Maple Leafs Acquire:
- Adrian Kempe ($5.5 million)
Kings Acquire:
- Morgan Rielly ($7.5 million)
This proposed deal would be massive for both teams. The Maple Leafs would add a speedy winger who can reliably put the puck in the net. The Kings add an offensive-minded blueliner who can help their powerplay.
Kempe would be a great addition to the Maple Leafs’ top line with Auston Matthews. The 28-year-old winger was drafted 29th overall by the Kings in 2014. The 6-foot-2, 200 lb forward recorded a 35-goal and 73-point season in 81 games.
In adding Morgan Rielly, the Kings get a powerplay quarterback to help them improve their special teams performance. The 31-year-old blueliner was drafted fifth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2012. In 82 games this season, the 6-foot-1, 225 lb Rielly scored 41 points, 14 of which came from the man advantage.
Adrian Kempe is a Great Fit For the Maple Leafs
While the Maple Leafs would love to add the Championship pedigree of Evan Rodrigues or the powerplay dominance of Erik Karlsson – Kempe is no slouch.
Kempe brings goals in spades. In the past four seasons, he’s registered 35, 41, 28, and 35 goals.
Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet has reported that the Maple Leafs could consider trading Rielly for a top-six forward.
“Given the blue line is in a good place and forward is where the Leafs have more questions and holes to fill,” Kypreos wrote in July. “Might they look to flip a blueliner for, ideally, a top-six scorer?”
With Kempe’s goal-scoring history, adding him to the roster would be the top-six help they desire.
Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly Can Help the Kings
The Kings had the sixth-worst powerplay in the NHL last season. Motivated to improve their powerplay, GM Ken Holland signed former Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period linked the Kings to Bowen Byram. However, since the Buffalo Sabres and the young defender reached a contract extension, a trade seems less likely now.
Rielly represents an alternative with a long track record of powerplay production. Of his 513 career points, 173 of those have come from the man advantage. In the last four seasons, he has recorded 23, 17, 20, and 14 powerplay points, respectively.
This Proposal Has One Major Hiccup
The biggest hurdle to a deal coming to fruition is a contract extension between the Kings and Kempe.
Pagnotta wrote about Holland being motivated to get a deal done. Kempe is in the last year of a contract paying him $5.5 million.
“Obviously, I’d like to sign him to an extension,” Holland said. “He’s an important guy on the team. I believe he wants to stay.”
Pagnotta wrote that he believes Kempe is, “looking for around $10 million per season on his next contract.”
Regardless of his contract status, the Maple Leafs should push their chips in and trade for the Kings’ sniper.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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