Should the Toronto Maple Leafs pursue Kevin Shattenkirk?
With Kevin Shattenkirk rumored to be on the trade block, we look at why the Toronto Maple Leafs should pursue the St. Louis Blues highest scoring defenceman.
Yeah, yeah we have heard it all – “The Toronto Maple Leafs can’t trade for a player who is older than 21-years of age.” Okay I get that they are rebuilding and all, but why on earth is that a rule?
Don’t forget, a successful team doesn’t solely include a ton of young talented players. Just look at the Edmonton Oilers as your example – they did not have enough veterans to mentor the young studs.
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Surprise, most NHL teams best players are usually in their prime (27-34 years old). So, fans complaining about keeping James van Riemsdyk, or about the thought of acquiring a 26-year old, right-handed, top two defenceman should really reconsider.
According to ESPN‘s Craig Custance, Kevin Shattenkirk is in play on the trade front. Custance also writes that while the St. Louis Blues like the defenceman, salary cap issues may prevent them from re-signing the offensive defenseman.
Shattenkirk would instantly upgrade any team’s defensive corps. However, more importantly, the Leafs could benefit from his right-handedness.
The former 14th overall draft pick has registered 25 points in 35 games for the Blues this season. He’s one of the best offensive-defenceman in the game, and brings the kind of mobility from the back end that the Leafs have been missing since the Tomas Kaberle era.
It wouldn’t be so bad to have a power play run by William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Shattenkirk, would it? So, exactly how good is this Shattenkirk character?
5v5 Even Strength On Ice Stats
| Season(s) | TOI | GF60 | GA60 | GF% | Sh% | Sv% | PDO | TMGF60 | TMGA60 | TMGF% | OppGF60 | OppGA60 | OppGF% | OZFO | DZFO | NZFO | TotFO | OZFO% | DZFO% | NZFO% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 582:35 | 1.751 | 2.163 | 44.7 | 5.63 | 91.32 | 97.0 | 2.14 | 1.81 | 54.1 | 2.07 | 2.08 | 49.9 | 223.0 | 161.0 | 177.0 | 561.0 | 39.8 | 28.7 | 31.6 |
| 2014-15 | 912:40 | 3.090 | 1.709 | 64.4 | 9.42 | 93.30 | 102.7 | 2.26 | 2.24 | 50.3 | 2.24 | 2.23 | 50.1 | 333.0 | 274.0 | 290.0 | 897.0 | 37.1 | 30.5 | 32.3 |
| 2013-14 | 1259:50 | 2.334 | 2.048 | 53.3 | 7.82 | 91.63 | 99.4 | 2.43 | 2.24 | 52.0 | 2.23 | 2.26 | 49.7 | 421.0 | 309.0 | 402.0 | 1132.0 | 37.2 | 27.3 | 35.5 |
| 2012-13 | 760:12 | 2.210 | 1.657 | 57.1 | 7.61 | 92.68 | 100.3 | 2.11 | 2.27 | 48.2 | 2.20 | 2.15 | 50.6 | 258.0 | 201.0 | 223.0 | 682.0 | 37.8 | 29.5 | 32.7 |
| 2011-12 | 1263:22 | 2.232 | 1.377 | 61.8 | 7.05 | 94.73 | 101.8 | 1.94 | 1.69 | 53.5 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 50.0 | 373.0 | 313.0 | 395.0 | 1081.0 | 34.5 | 29.0 | 36.5 |
| 2010-11 | 1125:34 | 2.772 | 2.452 | 53.1 | 9.29 | 91.20 | 100.5 | 2.31 | 2.58 | 47.2 | 2.25 | 2.28 | 49.7 | 391.0 | 267.0 | 402.0 | 1060.0 | 36.9 | 25.2 | 37.9 |
Thanks to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, Shattenkirks’ 5v5 even strength on ice stats over the past six years exemplify the point that he is among the elite defenceman in the NHL. Aside from a bit of a speed bump by the Blues this season, whenever Shattenkirk has been on the ice during his career, his team has a positive goal differential.
And not just by a mere decimal value – last year the Blues scored almost twice as many goals as they surrendered while Shattenkirk was on the ice. Sounds like something the Leafs could use, right?
He’s also been categorized as a Mike Babcock favourite. If there is one thing the Leafs head coach favors over anything else, it is reliable, puck-moving defencemen who jump into the play.
In Toronto, Babcock has two of them in his back pocket in Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. They will likely be pivoting the backend for years to come.
However, they are both left-handed, and neither have partners they can dominate puck possession with. Also, aside from Gardiner and Rielly, the Leafs don’t have many top four, impactful and mobile defenceman down the line (let alone right-handed defenceman).
So what would it take to pry Shattenkirk from the Blues? If the Leafs want to acquire an offensive dynamite, potential Norris trophy-winning, minute munching, right-handed defenceman, you can bet they’re going to pay a premium price.
Given the amount of depth St. Louis have on the blue line with the recent emergence of rookie Colton Parayko, and their lack of scoring depth, here’s a trade that would benefit both teams. Each player also has the exact same salary, at a beautiful $4.25 million AAV.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire: Kevin Shattenkirk
St. Louis Blues Acquire: James van Riemsdyk
In a prefect world, the Leafs acquire the number one defenceman they have been craving for over a decade, and the Blues get the high-scoring power forward they have been desperate for. To add the cherry on top, the hockey world is going to love this trade.
Old fashioned one-for-one deals are the way to go! Just ask Predators fans how they feel about stealing Ryan Johansen.
Whoops! That’s a discussion for another day…
Next: Leafs pricing Roman Polak out of a trade
Do you think the Leafs should pursue Kevin Shattenkirk? How realistic is it? Let us know in the comments section below.