The Toronto Maple Leafs will be a team to watch in the offseason due to their pending free agents and potential trades.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs trading Max Domi to the Utah Hockey Club.
Maple Leafs acquire:
Hockey Club acquire:
The proposed one-for-one swap does make sense as Toronto would move on from Domi, who has had his struggles this season, while Utah moves on from Maccelli, who has also struggled. Both could use a change of scenery.
Maccelli has one year left on his three-year, $10.28 million deal and is an RFA at the end of his contract. Maccelli is a small, skilled winger who could potentially help fill the void of Mitch Marner if he does walk in free agency. With Utah this season, he’s skated in 55 games, recording 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points. Last season, he recorded 17 goals and 40 assists, as this is a down year for him.
Utah, meanwhile, would acquire Domi, who would add some physicality to the Hockey Club’s lineup. Utah is looking to get bigger and tougher, and Domi would help bring that. He has three years left on his four-year, $15 million deal. Domi has recorded 8 goals and 23 assists for 31 points in 70 games.
Max Domi Believes in the Current Maple Leafs Team
Domi is a fan favorite, given that his dad played for the Maple Leafs and was also a fan favorite.
However, his name came up in trade rumors earlier this year and perhaps his name will come up in trade talks again this summer. But, back in December, Domi heaped a ton of praise on the current team in an exclusive interview with Heavy.com.
“What he (Auston Matthews) does on a day-to-day basis is absolutely incredible,” Domi said to Heavy.com. “We want to just help support him in any way we can, and we’re very lucky to have him. I mean, you look at Willy (Nylander), look at Mitchy (Marner), Johnny (Tavares), Morgan Rielly, there’s there’s so many big guys on this team that are just remarkable. The young kids coming up, we’ve got a great mix. It’s a special group. And, I mean, you said it, Auston is one of the best to do it. So he’s driving the ship in the right direction. It’s great to be one of the guys to help out.”
The Maple Leafs are currently 48-26-4 and atop the Atlantic Division.
Utah Could be Aggressive This Summer
The Hockey Club made some bold moves last offseason, and after a successful first year could be even more aggressive this summer.
Utah has just over $21 million in cap space entering the offseason and 26 draft picks over the next three years. With that, the Hockey Club can get aggressive in trades or free agency, as general manager Doug Armstrong pointed to what he did last summer.
“We’re looking to upgrade every day,” Armstrong said on March 7. “But people have to remember that a lot of our work was done in the summer when we added Kevin Stenlund and John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev and Ian Cole, and then we added Olli Määttä and Nick DeSimone during the season. So I think it’s one of those things where a lot of our grocery shopping was done early and that has put us where we are.”
Utah has been eliminated from playoff contention.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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