Bertuzzi or Barbashev?

 

The other day I posted an article about some potential names the Leafs were apparently linked to. With the All-Star break ending and the trade deadline a month away, I thought I would talk about two more potential options at forward for the Leafs.

Before I get started I would just like to address all of the talking heads on TV saying that the only option Kyle Dubas has is to go all in on this deadline. The Leafs have approximately 3 million dollars in cap space because of players on, those being Jake Muzzin, Nick Robertson, and Victor Mette with the last two players being league minimum. We know Robertson won’t return this season after having major shoulder surgery and a Jake Muzzin return is highly unlikely after suffering a spinal injury. It is unfortunate because Jake Muzzin when the Leafs traded for him was a great addition to the team’s blueline but ever since being stretchered off in the bubble series against Columbus injuries seem to be a common result for the Woodstock Ontario native. With Mette inching closer to a return the Leafs would be left with a little over 4.8 million dollars in space. Again, every analyst that throws in their two cents says Dubas should go all in by trading for a player like Patrick Kane. Listen, I’d love it if Patrick Kane became a Leaf as most of the fans would but there are a few important details fans need to consider. Chris Johnston of TSN has said the Leafs have around three million to play with because Kyle wants to add both a forward and a depth defenseman and leave some breathing room in case of injuries after the deadline. So, if Kyle decided to spend every dollar, he had available and leave little to no breathing room and acquire Kane from Chicago the only way he could possibly make it work financially is with a three-team trade with both partners retaining 50% of salary. If Chicago retained 50% of Kane’s 10.5-million-dollar salary that would drop it to 5.25 million dollars, if Kyle could find a third team to retain 50% Kane’s salary would drop to approximately 2.75 million dollars. So we now the money to a value that helps the team but now we need to look at the cost to have the teams retain money. The third team would likely ask for a 2^nd round pick if you’re lucky maybe a third but the biggest price would be what Chicago would want in return. We know Chicago is in on the Connor Bedard sweepstakes but they are going to want a king’s ransom in return because they are going to want assets that will help speed up their rebuild. Chicago is going to want a package that would include draft picks and high-end prospects. Chicago is going to want Matthew Knies and Fraser Minten among other assets. I personally can’t see Kyle basically selling the farm for a rental like Kane because why would Kyle risk losing Kane in the offseason and then leave either leave him if he gets a new contract in a position with no building blocks for the team’s future? Kyle, in my opinion, doesn’t need to make his Kawhi Leonard type of trade like all the experts are hoping for so that they get the clicks and the ratings Kyle needs to make a trade that helps the team both now and for the future, because as unpopular as this may be with the fanbase I think the smart thing for Toronto to do is extend Kyle’s contract but that’s an article for another day.

As you can tell from the title of this article, I will focus on Tyler Bertuzzi of the Red Wings and Ivan Barbashev of the Blues.

 

 

  

 

 Photo From The Hockey Writers

Tyler Bertuzzi:

Tyler has apparently been on the Leaf radar for the past few seasons but one major hold-up was during the pandemic and the fact that in order to enter Canada you needed to be fully vaccinated from Covid -19. Tyler decided not to get vaccinated and that’s fine it’s his choice, but things would have been challenging with your newest asset not being allowed to enter Canada because of no vaccine. With government restrictions lifted and things back to normal with this season’s deadline approaching Tyler Bertuzzi has apparently been linked to Toronto once again. This season, however, Bertuzzi has managed 5 points in just 17 appearances in another season hit with injury. Bertuzzi when fully healthy can be a factor like every player but lately, the question surrounding Tyler is, When will be healthy? Now, fans might read this and think maybe he’ll bring a physical aspect to the Leaf lineup. Bertuzzi has 17 hits and 9 blocked shots so I don’t know if that’s the game he plays. Tyler has a salary of 4.75 million dollars which would be over their apparent 3 million dollar budget so Toronto would need money retained. For me, though I think the fact that it’s now the first week of February and Tyler Bertuzzi has only played in 17 games is a giant red flag because then you’re trading a player from your roster for someone that will likely continue to deal with injuries. So, for me, if I am Kyle Dubas I avoid trading for Tyler Bertuzzi at all costs and look elsewhere.

Photo From NHL.com

Ivan Barbashev:

 

Barbashev is a Center for the Blues who can also play the wing and in 51 games so far this season for St Louis Ivan has 24 points but he has registered 105 hits, so he isn’t afraid to throw his weight around meaning he’s difficult for the opponent to play against and with an all but certain first-round rematch against the Lightning the Leafs adding a player with grit and size could be an important piece to help the team through the first round and hopefully further. If we look at Ivan’s salary, he has a cap hit of 2.25 million dollars but is an Unrestricted Free Agent this summer. If we look at the Leafs forwards, I would be happy if Toronto was able to move Alex Kerfoot and his 3.5 million dollar salary because that would give the Leafs because that would give them a few hundred thousand dollars extra in cap space but we have also heard that the Leafs like the versatility Kerfoot brings to the lineup as he is able to slide into both the top six and bottom six forward groups.  One player who could possibly be moved is Pierre Engvall and his salary is the same as Barbashev’s at 2.250 million dollars. Pierre is someone who in my opinion has all the tools to be a valuable piece to any team. He has the speed, the ability to put up points, and the size that many teams look for when acquiring players. To me, I think we have not seen the best of what Engvall can bring and I don’t know if we will in Toronto and so I am wondering if maybe a change of scenery would be needed for Engvall for him to reach his full potential. Also, it’s worth mentioning that if Barbashev is in fact the forward the Leafs are targeting the Blues have told Ivan that his contract would not be renewed next season and they fully intend to trade Barbashev by the deadline so that could benefit Kyle Dubas because he likely would have to give up much in return for the services of Barbashev but as we all know time will tell.

 

As always thanks for reading.