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Toronto Maple Leafs: What to make of the Sami Vatanen rumours

By Omar L

May 14, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) attempts a shot against the Nashville Predators during the first period in game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) attempts a shot against the Nashville Predators during the first period in game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to TSN insider Pierre Lebrun, teams are calling the Anaheim Ducks about Sami Vatanen one of them being the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The NHL is about to begin one of its busiest Junes in recent memory with their first Expansion Draft since 2001 being held on June 21st. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for example, are in a good position for the draft (save for some protection decisions). Other teams, not so much. One of those teams are the Anaheim Ducks who have a decision to make on Sami Vatanen.

The TSN panel got together in Pittsburgh ahead of Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final for another edition of Insider Trading. Insider Pierre Lebrun spoke of the Anaheim Duck’s mindset going into the draft. It’s common knowledge that the Ducks need to make a move so that they do not end up losing a valuable player.

Many teams around the league are desperate to upgrade on defence. Lebrun believes that because of Anaheim’s position, may be the odd one out. According to the report, teams are lining up with interest in a trade for Vatanen including the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, and of course the Leafs. That might explain why Mike Babcock was in attendance during the Western Conference Final.

Vatanen is a top-four right-handed defencemen, that alone makes highly coveted player. He had a down year offensively, but is a reliable puck mover that averages 21:40 of ice-time a game. The lack of offence isn’t anything to worry about considering the Leafs already have Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner who are more offensive minded players.

He isn’t the biggest player at 5-foot-10 and 186 lbs. However, his hockey IQ and attention to detail have made him effective for Anaheim. Not to mention a shot that doesn’t look too bad.

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His contract is another positive since Vatanen is making $4.875 million for the next three seasons (via CapFriendly.com) with a No Trade Clause for the final two years. That would make him the second highest paid defenceman on the team between Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev. Bringing the 26-year old into the fold may not have the impact of a number one, but it would definitely add more stability to the back-end.

Now it’s easy to talk about what he could do if he came here, but there will be a cost to acquire him and that cost likely goes up with the number of teams interested. James van Riemsdyk is usually the automatic pick to send the other way in a trade for a blue-liner. However, Anaheim most likely wouldn’t do that. Keep in mind that they would want a deal like this to help them out expansion-wise. Bringing on JVR would just give them another player that they would need to protect.

Therefore, a Vatanen deal is going to involve picks and prospects. In particular, a forward considering how deep Anaheim is when it comes to defensive prospects. A possible deal could be the Leaf’s 2017 first round pick and Andreas Johnson. Johnson is making strides in the AHL and is probably ready to make the jump to the NHL. He would be an ideal player for the Ducks to have in and would provide them with an offensive talent who has an edge to him, which Randy Carlyle would like

So back to Vatanen, something to keep in mind is the Finnish defenceman isn’t 100% at the moment. GM Bob Murray announced that Vatanen would require a major shoulder surgery leaving him sidelined for most of the summer. Considering Murray said Vatanen would be out longer than Hampus Lindholm‘s 4-5 month timeline, the length of recovery could be anywhere around 6-8. At the very least, Vatanen won’t start the season in October and could be out until November.

The fact that he is injured may have Toronto push that first round pick to a second. In a draft like this where movement is expected, it would be better for Toronto to stay at 17th. The second rounder would be the one they acquired in the Dion Phaneuf trade with the Ottawa Senators which will be a later in the round, a much easier pill to swallow. Whether that will be enough could be tough to gauge because other teams could be willing to move their first round picks to get a deal done.

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The Leaf’s strength has always been on offence while defence their weakness. The likelihood of them getting a number one defencemen this offseason is probably unlikely, but they need to add someone who can play top-four consistently so that they can add more structure to the line-up. It would be in the Leaf’s best interest to look into a deal if Vatanen is available. Whoever they draft this year or next won’t help the Toronto Maple Leafs now. After a season like this past one, they would want someone who can help now as the team’s competitive window opens.

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