Maple Leafs Insider Leaks Failed Scott Laughton & Rasmus Ristolainen Trade to the Public
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A Toronto Maple Leafs reporter has just revealed a massive trade that almost happened with the Philadelphia Flyers for Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen.
Brad Treliving, the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has yet to make a blockbuster trade since replacing Kyle Dubas a couple of years ago.
However, it is now being reported by David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period that Treliving almost made an earth-shattering deal in his first season during the draft in Nashville.
Essentially, the Leafs were on the verge of acquiring both Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen, however, they ultimately chose not to finalize the trade.
The Maple Leafs have been after Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen essentially since Brad Treliving took over as Leafs GM a few seasons ago. There was a deal on the table two drafts ago in Nashville for a first-round pick, but Toronto chose not to make the trade. While Ristolainen struggled early in his career in Buffalo, he has been much better since joining Philadelphia, though his reputation from those early years has lingered, especially among fans.
This is pretty ironic because now, the Maple Leafs are still desperately trying to trade for Laughton, but this time, the price has been increased significantly.
If placed in a stronger, more competitive environment on a contending team, he could help stabilize the blue line. He has two years left on his contract, while Scott Laughton has one. Philadelphia's asking price includes Fraser Minten, a player they've been interested in for over a month.
Toronto remains reluctant to trade next year's first-round pick, so they have to decide if including Minten and possibly more in a package deal makes sense. Acquiring both players would mean taking on an $8.1 million cap hit ($5.1M for Ristolainen, $3M for Laughton), which would require cap juggling. Given this, it's uncertain / unlikely that a deal like this will happen.
Toronto remains reluctant to trade next year's first-round pick, so they have to decide if including Minten and possibly more in a package deal makes sense. Acquiring both players would mean taking on an $8.1 million cap hit ($5.1M for Ristolainen, $3M for Laughton), which would require cap juggling. Given this, it's uncertain / unlikely that a deal like this will happen.
At this point, it seems very unlikely that the Leafs would get both Ristolainen and Laughton, although the latter on his own does seem fairly viable.
Toronto Maple Leafs need to make a trade deadline deal
There is no doubt that Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs must act fast in order to get themselves a good player at the NHL trade deadline.
Teams like the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning have taken big swings to improve the roster.
Meanwhile, the Leafs have done absolutely nothing, which is not a good look all things considered.
If the Leafs get surpassed by the Lightning or the Panthers in the postseason, then fans may never forgive Treliving for his inaction.
| POLL | ||
MARS 5 | 314 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Insider Leaks Failed Scott Laughton & Rasmus Ristolainen Trade to the Public Do you believe Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton would be good fits for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| YES | 250 | 79.6 % |
| NO | 64 | 20.4 % |
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