Three mock trades between the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs for a goaltender
We know the San Jose Sharks are open for business. Everything has its price, and everything will be available if it is met. This has exceptions, of course, with players like William Eklund being untouchable as they are considered to be part of the next wave of the Sharks' core. It means that we have a lot of people to talk about when it comes to trade rumors and partners for the San Jose Sharks this season.
One area of the ice that the Sharks are rumored to be moving players is the blue line. The defense is open according to Elliotte Friedman with everyone available at the right price. But that is not what I want to talk about today. There will be teams that want a defenseman and we can talk about them in due time, but it is the crease and that I want to discuss right now for reasons I will explain in a moment.
San Jose's netminding situation is pretty clear. With Magnus Chrona and Eetu Makiniemi down in the minors, the organization could do with clearing a place on the roster full time for one of the two if they are to find their starter of the future. There's no point in having NHL ready netminders in the AHL. The debate is whether or not these particular netminders are NHL ready at this moment or whether they could do with more time in the junior league.
This brings us to Kaapo Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood. These two goalies have been very good for the San Jose Sharks so far this season. Tasked with backstopping a rebuilding roster, these two have played very well behind a roster that has extreme flaws. Despite being exposed to things most goaltenders should never find themselves facing, this tandem has held its own against the majority of the league, very rarely costing the Sharks games.
Now, goaltending is a very valuable commodity in this league. There will be a lot of teams looking for help in their crease before the daedline, and the Toronto Maple Leafs may have the most pressing urge at this moment. With Ilya Samsonov bordering on unusable and Martin Jones being Martin Jones as Sharks fans will remember so fondly, the need for a goalie in Toronto seems urgent. Here are three deals that could help these two teams out.
Kahkonen Leafs
Now, ideally, this would be a second-round draft pick coming back to the Sharks, but the Leafs don't happen to have one until 2027, and that is just too far away to justify waiting for it. May as well pick up multiple draft picks and a good young player instead of waiting all that time for a second-round pick anyway. This is where I wanted to start with the idea of a Sharks goalie going to Toronto for a few reasons.
The big pull for the Sharks here is Nick Robertson. A young, talented forward, Robertson has been plagued with injury issues since he broke into the league a few season ago. San Jose would be a good place for him to try and come back from his injury concerns. Let him play alongside guys like William Eklund and Tomas Hertl and build his value up, and he himself could be a trade piece for the Sharks if they opt to go that route.
Ilya Samsonov would need to come back for a couple of reasons. First of all, the Leafs would need to do this to have the cap room for Kahkonen. But as a pending unrestricted free agent, Samsonov would be a good candidate to help the Sharks drop a few decisions that may be close with their current good netminders and ensure the best odds at picking first overall.
The two picks are for the combination of taking on Samsonov's deal as the second worst goaltender in the league by save percentage among all goalies to play in at least 10 games this season, and the upgrade Kahkonen is. I think this is the kind of deal that both teams would do very well from if it was made today. It would make both teams happier with the directions they are headed.
Kahkonen to Leafs
This took some math to make the money work, but this is a unique deal I think Sharks fans may be okay with if the organization was to do it. I think it would certainly be an interesting move for the organization if they were going to do something like this, but it has its benefits as well as being a pain. However, this deal does a lot for both organizations as well and in a potential deal, I think this works.
Toronto's defense is known to be a problem for the organization. The last time it was league average, the salary cap did not exist so it has been a problem for a few years. That is why Mario Ferraro is included in this deal. He will instantly improve the defense of the Maple Leafs, making them more willing to give up young players and high picks. With the three years Ferraro has left, it would hurt to lose him, but to get a return like this is worth it.
Mackenzie Blackwood would acquired from the San Jose Sharks this summer for pennies on the dollar. Since coming in, he has been nothing short of spectacular. It does feel a little bit like trying to trade a paper clip into a house like the olde videos on EBay, but that is why the return is so large. Blackwood also has another year left, making him more desirable for teams wondering about his availability.
In return, Timoty Liljegren is a good, young Swedish defenseman who could fill in for the Sharks on the backend as a stop gap, and potentially even be a trade piece down the line. He was drafted in 2017, so he's not a child anymore, but this is still a player that the Sharks could use in a productive role if they chose to. He's the kind of defenseman that could replace Ferraro in a trade.
Samsonov has to be included for the cap to work, but that is why the first round pick is included. San Jose gets another shot at a defenseman in the draft, like a Aron Kiviharju, while the Maple Leafs get multiple assets that they can keep for more than just the one postseason run. It isn't a deal that works for them for just one season.
Kaapo to Leafs
This is probably a little more farfetched, but I think it has more upside for the Sharks. We all know the Sharks prospect pool is lacking defensemen of quality, so that is why a deal like this improves the position of the organization in that regard. We all understand that the Sharks need help for the future on their back end, and they would get that in a move like this one.
Conor Timmins is a defenseman whose stock has seemed to drop over the last few seasons. When he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche, he was very highly thought of, but injuries have derailed his development. He's still a quality bottom pairing or extra defenseman, and he's got term on a deal where he makes $1.1 million a season. He could be future trade bait as well as a potential fix for the Sharks.
Topi Niemala is a defensive prospect that has been very highly touted in the Leafs organization. He's unlikely to be moved, but the Sharks using their final retention slot on Kahkonen in a move like this would probably demand a prospect of that quality in the same position to go the other way. It's not an ideal situation for either team, but the return for both players would explain the return.
As for the draft picks, that would be for making up the difference in value since an NHL player and starting goalie will always have more value than a prospect, and a bottom pairing defenseman. It gives the Sharks the potential to try and grab an extra prospect out of this deal on the draft floor. Good management might allow the Sharks to make more of it. What do you think?