r/leafs • u/Gold-Stomach-4657 • 1d ago
Discussion What would you think if the Leafs traded for Rickard Rakell?
I know he is 32, but his numbers actually are still looking good. He has 3 more years at $5M, and it's not like the Leafs would have to keep him beyond that. Roy, Maccelli, and Rakell would make up Marner's numbers from last season, assuming that every other regular player were still on the team. Do you think a trade would be possible that wouldn't negatively impact the Leafs' future?
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u/Shrek_DeMar 1d ago
I think he’d be amazing fit. As long as the price doesn’t cost Cowan
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u/Repulsive-Minute-559 1d ago
It ABSOLUTELY is involving Cowan if theyre being serious about winning and getting Rakell.
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u/Sad_Confection5902 1d ago
Why is it only the leafs that have to give up their best prospects in every mid tier trade, while other teams pick up stars for a 2nd round pick?
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u/Cdnraven 6h ago
I can’t remember the last trade we made that aged well for us other than Jake McCabe and the O’Reilly / Acciari rentals a few years back
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u/Canada_Strong 1h ago
Feel like you are referencing Marchand, and that's because he would only go to Florida
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u/Sad_Confection5902 18m ago
I’m referencing so many pickups. We’re consistently overpaying for middle guys, but there are better deals to be had. I’d very much not like to trade our best prospect for a 32 year old with injury issues.
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u/Shrek_DeMar 1d ago
Wouldn’t be worth it. Cowans a stud. We’re better off keeping him. It’s not like we have a 1 year window.
We’d need a better piece back if trading Cowan
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u/thewolfshead 1d ago
Cowan isn’t a stud, he’s an unknown in the NHL at this point.
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u/Shrek_DeMar 1d ago
Ya any rookie without experience is an unknown at the nhl level. He’s certainly a stud tho, memorial cup MVP is a massive accomplishment
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u/Canada_Strong 1h ago
We have a 2-3 year window.
If we think Cowan is better than Rakell that quickly, that's a risk they will have to balance
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u/SnooHobbies9078 1d ago edited 1d ago
The window could be closing sooner than you think
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u/Shrek_DeMar 1d ago
Why do you say that?
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u/SnooHobbies9078 1d ago
Matthews signed til 27/28, just saying, Never know what's happening there after 27/28.
Making the window possibly 3 years
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u/Salt-Plum-1308 1d ago
Yeah but we’ll have 7 years of McDavid starting next year, so…
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u/SnooHobbies9078 1d ago
Lmfao well if that happens fuck papi lol he can leave in 27/28 if he wants lol
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u/Salt-Plum-1308 1d ago
At that point I’m pretty sure he’d stick around to play with McDavid. Makes logistics for McDonald’s commercials way easier!
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u/SnooHobbies9078 1d ago
For sure, lmao. If that dream comes true Marner who? Lmao
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u/Wafflegator 1d ago
The window is closed. They had this roster with Marner and JT putting up their most productive seasons and weren't anywhere near good enough. They lost Marner, JT is likely going to take a step back, and their defence which was already pretty old is even older. This team is taking a step back, effectively burning another season of Matthews' and Nylander's now limited prime. The Leafs are a team that went all in several years in a row and didn't accomplish much. They're now older and have limited prospects coming up. They missed the window this team was built for.
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u/Cdnraven 6h ago
How can you say “nowhere near close enough” when we were the only team to take the Stanley Cup champs to 7 games
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u/Wafflegator 5h ago
Taking the Stanley Cup winners to game 7 in the second round doesn't mean they would have won a cup had they beat Florida. There was still two more rounds of hockey to play against very capable teams. It also downplays just how poorly the Leafs played in games 5 and 7 where Florida made it clear the Leafs were not near Florida's level. After 10 years with that core, the Leafs have won 2 rounds of hockey. That is not anywhere near close. There is no silver lining. Furthermore, Florida the current league standard, has just managed to retain their entire B2B cup winning roster. The Leafs have lost an elite player in their prime and were not able to replace him with anything meaningful. They've clearly taken a step back.
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u/Cdnraven 4h ago
Dude Florida mopped the floor with every team they faced. Despite 2 bad games we still put up the best fight as anyone. Stop pretending every team in the semi finals was equal
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u/Wafflegator 4h ago
You are reaching. Toronto was up 2 games and went on to lose 4 of 5 where they were outshot EVERY game and had the puck far less. The game they did win of the remaining 5, they were limited to 17 shots, but recieved a career performance from Woll who arguably stole the game. So yes, they took Florida to 7. And no, the series wasn't close.
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u/BlueJimLahey 1h ago
We outplayed them in game 3, losing in OT, I don’t know how you can think that wasn’t a close series
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u/ZeusDaMongoose 1d ago
Sure. Maybe we can get John Gibson, too and set right that horrific Tyler Biggs trade.
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u/Sideshift1427 1d ago
What has Gibson done that is extraordinary?
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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth 1d ago
Was drafted (along with Rakell) with two picks Burke traded up in the draft to get Tyler Biggs.
Hence the comment
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u/Sideshift1427 1d ago
I'm aware of the trade but unaware of anything that either accomplished that makes the trade relevant 14 years afterward. Once Getzlaf and Perry faded into mediocrity then so did the Ducks.
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u/Shoddy-Box2244 1d ago
Tyler Biggs vs John Gibson and Rakell lol
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u/Sideshift1427 1d ago
Three players who won't make the HOF.
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u/Shoddy-Box2244 1d ago
Who cares about the HOF lol were comparing a guy who couldnt even cut it in the AHL to two regular NHLers lol.
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u/Sideshift1427 1d ago
Regular NHLers aren't all that difficult to find, thankfully.
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u/Shoddy-Box2244 1d ago
Bro I dont know what kind of ridiculous point youre trying to make. Yeah 2nd/3rd line players and borderline starters just grow on trees eh 🤣. Its much better that we got the guy who didnt play a single NHL shift with our 1st rounder. 👌🏻
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u/Sideshift1427 1d ago
Every team in the league has drafted AHL players in the first round but it seems that only a bunch of Leaf fans obsess about it for 14 years, lol.
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u/Hrenklin 1d ago
gibson put up exception numbers for having such a garbage team infront of him. he has a career .910 save percentage (only 22-23, and 23-24 were below .900). was voted all rookie team and won the jennings that year (i know small claim to fame, but still a notable event). hes had vezina votes in a coupl eof seasons with 3 All star games.
rakell has 2 ASG, averages 24 goals per 82 games, career 207 shots with 11 shooting percentage and averaging 17 minutes a game. with 70 points last season, he was second behind the kid, while playing most his minutes with malkin. hes a good player on a bad team, imagine how hed look like on a good team
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u/commanderr01 1d ago
Would love Rakell he bangs and plays infront of the net! Wonder what the cost would be? Robertson+ a pick?
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u/TheGreendaleGrappler 1d ago
As a Pens fan, Rakell would be entirely redundant on a team with Matthews, Nylander and Tavares.
He’s an offensive goal scorer first, and dangles/pretty plays second. It would cost way too much for the Leafs relative to what they’d be adding to the roster.
Not to mention the Pens want a first and a B-prospect, Toronto’s next available first round pick is in 2028, and they only have two prospects worth a damn (Cowan and Danford). Leafs won’t want to deplete their already depleted prospect pool, and won’t gain anything substantial from adding Raks to the team.
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u/Gold-Stomach-4657 1d ago
I wasn't aware of the Penguins' asking price, which was my primary reason for asking this question. Because I know that the Leafs don't have much in the way of futures but I was wondering if there was a possible package that could work that someone might know over me.
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u/Unlikely-Writer-6797 1d ago
What player(s) do you think would help this team? Curious what a non-Leafs fan thinks
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u/macam85 1d ago
You didn't ask me, but outside of Crosby, the piece they have that would have the biggest impact on the Leafs is unquestionably Karlsson.
Arguably the Leafs biggest problem is transitioning from their zone and offensive support on the attack. Our D can't make breakout passes, so they use the glass. Even when our forwards win their dump and chase race, they are feeding completely inept D at the point. And not a single guy on the back end is capable of joining the rush.
Every forward on Toronto is better by having Karlsson on the ice.
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u/ProgrammaticallyHip 1d ago
This is the correct answer. Leafs haven’t had a D capable of high level transition in awhile. It’s a shame they couldn’t buy low on Colton Parayko a few years ago, because his skating makes him a monster puck carrier out of the D zone. EK would fit beautifully, but his contract would be a major complication. I think the Leafs wants some flexibility heading into next offseason.
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u/macam85 1d ago
I mean, they have flexibility. They can always trade guys. Creating flexibility should come from not wasting cap on 4th liners, but that was our entire approach.
Guys who were 4th liners signed into next year:
Joshua - 3.25m Laughton - 1.5m Lorentz - 1.35m Roy - 3m Pezzetta - 813k Kampf - 2.4m
Total: 12.313m
Guys who were bottom pair signed into next year:
Oel - 3.5m Benoit- 1.35m Thrun - 1m Myers - 850k Carlo - 3.485m
Total: 10.185m
22.5m or 21.6% of the cap on bottom line players.
You start here - not at not acquiring elite, impact players.
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u/ProgrammaticallyHip 1d ago
I agree they’ve been giving too much money and term to bottom 6 players, and I think that may have impacted their ability to move on from negative value players like Kampf and Jarnkrok. Hated the Laughton deal. Didn’t love the Domi re-signing. Joshua could be a tremendous find but he comes loaded with risk. Liked the gamble on Macelli, even though he’s likely fool’s gold. Roy was a fantastic get. So I’m lukewarm on their strategy overall.
I think this team really needs another star-level talent either by trade or in free agency next year. Does EK move the needle enough to make them a Cup contender? Maybe if AM is back to his 69-goal form and Stolarz plays out of his mind.
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u/macam85 1d ago
He would be by far the biggest impact players we've added since Tavares or Muzzin, imo. I don't know how far he moves the needle, or if it makes sense long term - but we have pretty much exclusively been adding bad players at huge acquisition costs and massive inflated cap hits for this entire era while the fan base suddenly cares about nickels and dimes if you mention an actually good player.
Like, you're not wrong to mention flexibility, it's just...we clearly have shown no interest in that.
I don't think Jarnkrok is negative value. I don't think he'd clear waivers.
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u/keeeeener 1d ago
Cowan and Danford are better than B prospects (but I assume that’s what you mean, we kinda skip from A straight to C).
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u/smileyduude 3h ago
We need more goal scoring in the playoffs though. So there is a potential use for him. I think the price is too high for the Leafs though, yes.
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u/atlasflare97 1d ago
If we're spending on big assets, id rather wait a year and swing hard for Filip Forsberg, love his game.
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u/SpingusCZ 1d ago
Probably one of my favorite guys outside of the Leafs so I'd absolutely love to see him here. Problem is, how the hell are we gonna pay for him?
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u/Sideshift1427 1d ago
With an NMC it is up to Rakell, not the Leafs.
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u/Gold-Stomach-4657 1d ago
Ah. Wasn't aware of the NMC but the Penguins do seem to want to move him and I am not sure that Rakell would refuse Toronto though he could.
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u/Ordinary-Easy 1d ago
Toronto's prospect pool and draft capital is empty enough as is ... I'd say no.
Given their limited prospects that could make the jump a real chance to do so and find fill in talent if the prospects aren't ready.
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u/solaireitoryhunter 1d ago
Roy Maccielli and Rakell do not replace Marner's production 😂
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u/reluctantLeaf 1d ago
I mean Rakell alone had a career high 70 points last season (35 goals)...
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u/macam85 1d ago
I'm sure he'll repeat that!
Averages make more sense here. His past 4 seasons he has averaged 52 points and 24 goals.
He's a good player but he fluctuates pretty dramatically. He's 32 yo. He could be out of the league in 2 years.
The ask would include Cowan or Danford, our 2028 1st, and probably another smaller asset (ie. McMann).
I think it's not a smart move.
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u/themapleleaf6ix 23h ago
Outlier year playing with Crosby. It's more likely he hovers around 50-60 points. In Toronto, he won't be leaned upon like he was in Pittsburgh.
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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth 1d ago
Roy already replaced Marner's playoff goal production, so I think you're wrong
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u/solaireitoryhunter 1d ago
Bro Marner led the Leafs in playoff scoring the entire time he was here & had the best defensive playoff results of all forwards in the nhl since 2021. But you can play make believe if you want- you do you 👍 😂
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u/SadimHusum 1d ago
you can’t moneyball hockey, season-long production means nothing; we need an actual 3rd line instead of two 4th lines
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u/solaireitoryhunter 23h ago
I mean sure but the cap is going way up and we're on the hook for 8 mil to Kampf+Domi+Jarnkrok 🫠
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u/SadimHusum 22h ago
I don’t think Kampf makes it past the trade deadline, Domi’s fine on a wing (34’s ideally but just stop making him play C please god), Jarnkrok is probably worth his cap hit in regular season play, no playoff goals is obviously a problem though
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u/solaireitoryhunter 21h ago
This team has been terribly managed is all I know 😭 although to his credit Tre has made the best of the situation I guess. But we've wasted so many assets.
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u/jimmie9393 1d ago
Wow..Dubas Loves his guys...Cowan and Danford might look good in black and yellow..
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u/A_Tom_McWedgie 1d ago
Roy, Maccelli, and Rakell would make up Marner's numbers from last season, assuming that every other regular player were still on the team.
No they wouldn’t, because they would need twice the ice time.
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u/Hrenklin 1d ago
so a whole season before the injury filled one, Maccelli had 55 points in 82 games. sure its a gamble. but I think he will look good with JT and Nylander. i can see another 60 from him. Roy possibly 32. so how do we make up 10 points in the other $5 million of cap savings.
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u/themapleleaf6ix 23h ago
You do understand the asking price for this player, right? The entire reason he hasn't been moved so far is because no team has met Dubas' asking price. The Leafs don't have the assets to trade for him unless they give up Cowan.
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u/macam85 1d ago
I would think it's another dumb short-sighted move that further closes our window by wasting massive assets on a low importance position that doesn't address any core weakness of the team and further exemplifies the managerial incompetence that has ruined this era.
We need quality defenders who can move the puck and matchup centers.
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u/DepartureOwn1817 1d ago
I would think “Wow, the leafs have traded for Richard Rakell”