Toronto Maple Leafs: Kasperi Kapanen trade frees cap space, adds assets
By Brad Vos
While the NHL’s second round of the playoffs is underway, the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a trade, sending winger Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made headlines again sending Kasperi Kapanen defenceman Jesper Lindgren and left-winger Pontus Aberg to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In return, Toronto will receive a 2020 first-round draft pick (15th overall), left-winger Evan Rodrigues, centre Filip Hallander and defenceman David Warsofsky.
Toronto had to make some moves this off-season to change the roster and get under the cap. The first of those moves have taken place, and it will be interesting to see what else general manager Kyle Dubas does to address the Maple Leafs’ roster and salary cap issues.
In trading Kapanen, it appears that Dubas is very serious about keeping the big four forwards together in Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
While it is fun to speculate on trades involving those players, only Matthews would be a player they would be selling at a high. Other general managers have eyes and watched the Leafs star forwards underachieve and be bullied by Columbus in the qualifying round.
According to Cap Friendly, the move now gives Toronto shy of $7.8 million to fill out the remaining seven spots on their roster. There is still a lot of work to be done by Leafs brass. It will be interesting to see what other moves may be coming down the pipeline in Toronto.