A fan trade pitch sending Anthony Stolarz to the Rangers caught fire Thursday morning, and the Maple Leafs crease makes it hard to wave off.
The framework is simple. Stolarz and Toronto's 2027 second-round pick go to New York, with Braden Schneider and center prospect Jacob Battaglia heading the other way.
It landed hours before both clubs stumbled. The Leafs dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Buffalo at home Thursday night, their second straight loss.
The Rangers had it worse. New Jersey rolled them 7-1 on the road, the kind of night that sends a front office straight to its goaltending depth chart.
And that depth is thin right now. Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo are both on injured reserve, with Korpisalo not expected back until at least Nov. 9.
Dylan Garand has carried the load, posting a .915 save percentage and a shutout across seven appearances. Spencer Martin is the only other healthy goalie on the roster.
Toronto's side of the pitch hinges on Chris Tanev, who sits on injured reserve and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 22.
Braden Schneider's $5.5 million cap hit changes the math
Here's where the framework gets messy. Schneider carries a $5,500,000 cap hit, while Stolarz comes in at $3,750,000.
So Toronto would add $1,750,000 to the books for a defenseman with one assist through nine games. He's a plus-3 in that stretch, for what it's worth.
The Leafs blue line already leans hard on veterans. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is 35 and Jake McCabe is 33. Getting younger back there makes sense on paper.
The goalie half is the real problem. Stolarz owns an .875 save percentage over five games, a number that doesn't exactly scream insurance policy.
Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't been much better in Toronto, sitting at .896 through six appearances at 38 years old.
Here's the blunt part. For New York, this is a bad trade, plain and simple.
Moving a 25-year-old defenseman and a center prospect for a struggling 32-year-old goalie feels like paying full sticker price for a used car with the check engine light on.
Would Mike Sullivan really want to break up a blue line that's helped hold opponents to 2.3 goals per game?
-
The Rangers are perfect at home at 5-0-0. On the road, they're 1-3-0, and Thursday's lopsided loss in Newark didn't help that split.
Jim Hiller's group sits at 3-3-2 with 28 goals allowed in eight games. Something in that crease has to give.
The two teams meet in Toronto next Thursday, right as Tanev's injury window is listed to close. If nothing moves before then, that game becomes a long look at what each side is missing.
Should the Maple Leafs take on Braden Schneider's $5,500,000 cap hit to cover for Chris Tanev?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Elliotte Friedman reports an NHL signing news: Dallas Stars expected to land David Perron
