Toronto Maple Leafs: Trading for a defenceman could be too costly

It has been well documented that the Toronto Maple Leafs need help on defence, but if one recent report is to be believed, the cost of making a trade could be too much.

According to a report on Hockey Feed, TSN‘s Scott Cullen spoke to Vancouver 1040 to discuss the possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs trading for the Canuck’s Christopher Tanev.

Here is the trade Cullen reportedly has suggested could benefit both teams:

This deal is exceptionally lopsided in favour of the Canucks, particularly if you look closer at the pieces involved.

Tanev is a right-handed defenceman, a position that is highly sought after in the NHL, and has been a consistent performer along the Canucks blue-line.

He averaged 20:21 minutes of ice time in 53 regular season games this past season, picking up two goals and 10 total points in the process.

According to his HERO Chart, he is a big performer on the defensive side of the game but, despite being referred to as a two-way defenceman by some, he does not have amazing offensive stats.

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So far, Tanev seems like the ideal player for a Leafs defence seriously needing some upgrades.

But consider the fact the Toronto native has never played a full 82-game season since entering the league in 2010.

That, combined with his $4,450,000 cap hit and modified no-trade clause kicking in after this summer, makes things start to become a little less enticing.

If Tanev is the benchmark for a possible trade, then things look to be far too costly for the Leafs to seriously consider making such a move this summer.

Connor Carrick is a young right-handed defenceman that looks to have a long and promising career ahead of him.

Brendan Leipsic had an excellent season in the AHL, putting up 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 49 regular season games, and could find himself promoted to the Leafs next campaign.

A first round pick, whether it is this summer or next, is also a highly valuable asset for the Leafs.

Some promising defenceman could be available when the Leafs select 17th overall this summer and if trading for a veteran means sacrificing the opportunity of selecting a younger, cheaper option that can be developed within their system, then this is something the club should avoid.

The Leafs are reportedly set to bring in some European free agents, with Calle Rosen and Philip Holm both recently being touted as two defencemen they have agreed to terms with.

The move to bring in a free agent from overseas worked wonders with Nikita Zaitsev this season and if the Leafs can get performances close to this, then it will be a stroke of genius from the club.

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Trading for an existing defenceman in the NHL could become too costly, with teams knowing the value of right-handed defencemen is exceptionally high.

The added cost of any potential contracts for existing NHL veterans could also make things more uncomfortable for the Leafs.

A European free agent that has yet to play in the NHL will cost very little against the cap and would be a relatively inexpensive experiment, much like Zaitsev this past season.

With this in mind, it would be best for the Leafs to target some free agents and build up their blue-line through the draft.

Moving forward, retaining assets will benefit the team and the Leafs will be able to make moves that truly benefit them, rather than simply filling a need while losing some real young talent.

Next: What the Leafs can learn from Ducks & Predators

What do you think of the potential trade market for the Leafs? What do you believe would be a fair trade for the team to acquire a top-4 defenceman? Let us know in the comments section.