Insider David Pagnotta Reveals Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Is Listening To Trade Offers For Two Players
GM of the Leafs Brad Treliving has been taking calls for two of the team's players, being Nick Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs through the first 10 games of the season, they've gotten off to a 5-4-1 record, a start that hasn't gone the way fans had hoped it would. That being said, there have been some shining lights. New goaltender Anthony Stolarz has looked promising early on, Matthew Knies has started his sophomore year off with a bang, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been a surprisingly good addition. The performances are some reason for optimism even while the overall start of the team brings on concerns.
The Leafs are, however, getting to that juncture of the season where it's going to be a very critical period, most notably from the aspect of dealing with their salary cap. In order for them to fit someone in, someone else might need to go. According to NHL insider David Pagnotta, the Leafs have been getting calls for Calle Jarnkrok and Nick Robertson. Both of these players might just get traded at any time now, as teams reportedly have shown interest, given the Leafs' cap tightness.
Leafs Morning Take podcast hosts Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill had Pagnotta on for a recent episode to go over the Leafs' roster situation. They discussed at great length the impending return of Jarnkrok from injury, insinuating the forward with a lot of versatility could be on his way out to Los Angeles. Pagnotta did note that Robertson does have availability and is someone who would be somewhat easy to move with the interest in the young player.
Pagnotta added that while dealing Jarnkrok might look attractive once he's back, his recent injury and $2.1 million cap hit could complicate things. Versatility is one of the real driving factors of Jarnkrok's value but also something that could make other teams queasier, given the health issues he's presented. On Robertson, if he is going to attract any interest around the league, the winger still has a ways to go as, outside of a great preseason, he hasn't yet translated into what many had hoped during the regular season to this point; there is still reason to believe he could attract the attention of some teams trying to find an upside.
With the Leafs near their cap ceiling and Jani Hakanpaa due back soon, a roster move seems imminent. Whether they trade Calle Jarnkrok, Nick Robertson, or perhaps someone like Timothy Liljegren in the days to come remains to be seen. And whatever happens now will continue being skillfully juggled around cap relief along with keeping the lineup reasonably competitive throughout the year.
