Although the Toronto Maple Leafs have played fairly well offensively this season, their defence hasn’t. Not just their blue line, but their team defence as a whole hasn’t been at the level that it should be for a contending team. We are now seven games into the season, and it looks like their offence could turn around and offer more support to their back end. However, their defence core lacks a true stay-at-home defenceman who likes to throw the body and protect the house. Every contending team needs one or two defencemen of this calibre to help them in the postseason. It is not a secret that Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving enjoys having big-bodied defencemen from his time with the Calgary Flames. But how is he going to fix that problem with his new club? Well, it will be difficult, but he could look to trade Calle Jarnkrok to improve his defence core before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Maple Leafs need to improve their backend to make it better defensively and harder to play against. If you look at the roster, it seems that Jarnkrok has become the next Alex Kerfoot, meaning he is the player that head coach Sheldon Keefe calls upon to play everywhere in the lineup. However, he is also the player that makes the most sense to move to try and improve the defence core, so with that, let’s look at a few trades that center around him.
Note: These trades are essentially one-for-one trades with a draft pick as compensation for retaining salary. These trade packages are examples of players that the Maple Leafs could look to target and are not a true reflection of the value of each player.
Trade Scenario #1: Trade Jarnkrok to Blue Jackets
Toronto Maple Leafs Receive: Erik Gudbranson (50% Retained)
Columbus Blue Jackets Receive: Calle Jarnkrok + 2024 4th Round Pick
This one is very fun, but also a very real trade scenario. Treliving loved Erik Gudbranson during his time in Calgary and would be happy at the chance to reunite with him in Toronto. Now, as mentioned, this was a fun one to think about and make it work under the Maple Leafs’ cap situation. The Columbus Blue Jackets will need to retain 50% of Gudbranson’s contract, which will bring his cap hit down to $2 million for the next three seasons.
The 31-year-old blueliner would provide the Maple Leafs with experience as well as grit on the backend; as we have seen, that is Treliving’s motto. Going to the Blue Jackets is Jarnkrok, who essentially cancels out the cap hits as he makes $2.1 million and a 2024 fourth-round draft selection as compensation for retaining 50% of the cap hit. This trade will leave the Maple Leafs with around $233,333 in available cap space.
Trade Scenario #2: A Flames’ Reunion?
Toronto Maple Leafs Receive: Nikita Zadorov (50% Retained)
Calgary Flames Receive: Calle Jarnkrok + 2024 4th Round Pick
Nikita Zadorov, funny enough, was Gudbranson’s defence partner with the Flames, and he is yet another tough-to-play against blueliner that Treliving loved. He could be the most rumoured player attached to the Maple Leafs since they hired Treliving this offseason. There is a reason for that, though; he is exactly what Toronto needs on their back end. Zadorov’s cap hit is $3.75 million but at 50% retained, it brings it down to $1.875 million for the rest of this season, after which he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA).
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With Jarnkrok’s cap hit at $2.1 million, this gives the Maple Leafs $348,333 in cap relief. The Flames would also receive a 2024 fourth pick as compensation for retaining 50% of the salary. The Flames’ players didn’t seem too happy with the recent comments of Zadorov about his teammates, so a trade could be more realistic now than it was at the start of the season. Zadorov will bring the toughness that the Maple Leafs need on the back end as well as the “I don’t care” mentality that this team has lacked since the Auston Matthews’ era started in 2016-17.
Trade Scenario #3: Ship Jarnkrok to the Desert
Toronto Maple Leafs Receive: Matt Dumba (50% Retained)
Arizona Coyotes Receive: Calle Jarnkrok + 2024 3rd Round Pick & 2025 5th Round Pick
Matt Dumba was a defenceman that the members of Leafs Nation wanted the Maple Leafs to sign this offseason. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and he signed with the Arizona Coyotes for $3.9 million. He could be the most sought-after defenceman at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, so it only makes sense that the Maple Leafs would be interested. He can bring a strong game defensively, which includes shot blocking and hitting as well as some offence. If the Maple Leafs were able to acquire Dumba, he and Jake McCabe would be some of the hardest-hitting defencemen in the NHL. They both love to throw their bodies around, which would be loved by the fans.
The trade presented is Dumba going to the Maple Leafs at 50% retained, bringing his salary down to $1.95 million. This would be ideal for Toronto, as they could use all of the extra cap space they can get. In return, the Coyotes would receive Jarnkrok, a 2024 third-round pick, and a 2025 fifth-round pick. Of course, the picks are compensation for the salary retention. Jarnkrok does have a modified no-trade clause, and without knowing who is on the list he provided, this trade package can be presented.
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However, there is a chance that the Coyotes are one of the teams on his list. Jarnkrok could be given a role similar to his with the Maple Leafs in Arizona, but it is Dumba who is the difference-maker in this trade. He is a right-handed defenceman who is on an expiring deal that could give Morgan Rielly a proven top-pairing defenceman for years to come if they can find a way to extend him.
It’s only a matter of time until Treliving decides to change the back end of the Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have many options for trade pieces, which is why trading Jarnkrok and a draft pick or two could be the ideal situation to improve the team’s blue line.