Not enough for Risto with Retention.

Not enough for Tanev with Extension.

Not enough for Swarmchair with Consideration.

why do i feel like these players wouldn't make the team substantially better???

tanev and risto have had pretty bad advanced stats for years and in the situation suggested, they would be with the leafs for a few years.... not sure if acquiring a couple aging D with red flags in their metrics is the way to push the leafs over the top.....

treliving seems like the type to make those moves... but i don't think that's the best path forward...

That's all true. There are better and younger players, but are they available? Do the Leafs have the assets? And are they willing to pay it?

A young top 4 RD will require shipping out Knies and a 1st, and the Leafs don't want to do that. And they don't have other prospects and chips to trade with. So they'll have to add aging veterans and guys like Risto who are not as coveted around the league, making them cheaper to trade for.

completely agree...
i will say if guys become available from requesting trades or stuff like that teams like the leafs you'd think would be all over it like Barrie/NSH (doubt they want to bring him back) or Broberg/EDM
idk what Tre is thinking...

pens fan here btw but live in TOR so i hear alot by default lol

Those are some fair points, but Leafs would be giving up a substantial amount for Tanev. Ideally, the Leafs would trade a more tame package for him and bring him in as a rental, but of course CGY wants to maximize their return and also potentially tax Treliving extra. So, the idea would be well okay, he better come with an extension, right? Maybe, they should just shop elsewhere, especially since handing out Tanev and early extension limits their cap flexibility, and things could go wrong.

Ristolaienen if he can be had for two 3rds is a tame acquisition cost (probably too little for PHI to want to part ways with him - maybe adding Timmins would suffice) but again at nearly 4M for 3 more years for a guy who has improved but has been terrible defensively for a long time. His offense which is what would even make him desirable in the first place, seems to be nowhere to be found. Rather take a chance on Klingberg again next year (if he heals) than Ristolainen for 2 more additional years after the next - would even take a chance on Tyson Barrie instead. Klingberg will likely still be a defensive blackhole but his offense would probably come through at the least. Ristolainen has the potential to become a blackhole on defense and not produce.

Between adding Ristolainen at 3.775M and bringing in Tanev on an extension (probably 3-4M range), that would put the Leafs out of 7m+ probably for little to no upgrade overall.

Broberg might be worth considering for the short-term as a band-aid solution if it costs like an Alex Steeves to acquire him + a 3rd but I don't think Holland would be too keen on selling him for cheap, especially not to a Canadian team or a contender. I would imagine the Oilers are interested in more doing something like Broberg+ for Ferraro in SJ.

Speaking of Ferraro, that's probably a guy the Leafs are better off spending a 1st or significant cap on. Barrie is not the guy since he's going to require that PP1 spot to produce, he needs to be able to produce 5v5 as well but also be open to the possibility of playing on PP2. The whole ordeal in NSH seems like he wouldn't be okay with that. He's also not good at defense either and doesn't bring the size (Ferraro plays bigger than his size at least) that Treliving wants to add to the blueline so he won't be a target. I think the Leafs are better off relying on Timmins for offense (perhaps it comes with time especially if he gets a solid defensive partner like Ferraro) than to hope on Risto or Barrie to regain form.

About Tanev, I actually agree that the Leafs should stay away and sign him in free agency because the Flames owner has kept a grudge against Treliving and wants the Leafs to overpay in any trade with them. But he is the ideal target.

And with Risto, how do we know what kind of player he truly is when he's been on bad teams his whole career? Maybe on a good team his mistakes could be covered up, or better yet he elevates his game, especially if he gets to play with Brodie on a second pair. He is big, strong, and has a right shot, and at under 4 million with the cap going up it won't be all that bad if he ends up on the third pair playing sheltered minutes. It's a gamble, but that's what the Leafs must do. They gambled with Klingberg and lost. But they have to continue gambling because there is no other choice.

Ideally, Dubas would have used all those picks he gave up for younger D. Instead he gave two 2nds to acquire a 38 year old Giordano while Sakic used that same currency to get Toews out of the Islanders.

Treliving was put in a tough spot. And he's lucky that Klingberg got injured.

Way too much for the Leafs or any team to give up for middling Dmen. Tanev and an extension???

The only grudge the Calgary owner should have against Trevling he that he was a poor GM. He should be happy he left. Kinda silly to think that the Flames would turn down a better Leaf offer in a deal because of this alleged grudge.
Just my thought. I don't want Tanev....let some other team overpay. Hanifan has poor playoff record. Leafs have so few prospects and picks, no use giving them away for players that aren't going to move the dial in the playoffs.

As a sens fan, I absolutely want the leafs to go out and get Risto lol but I feel they’ll go Tanev and Ferraro, which is much smarter imo.

Don't get me wrong, Tanev is a good target that would be a good fit, but he can't be seen as the solution. Getting him would be much like the Giordano acquisition in the sense which wasn't bad, but he's a short-term solution even if he re-signs, and while Giordano's Achilles' heel has been stamina, Tanev's will likely be his health. They should try to add someone now, and circle back on him later, I don't think many teams are bouncing up and down at the idea of giving a 1st for him. I do think that's why Treliving is calling in and looking into Ristolainen but I hope he doesn't absorb a large portion or all of it just for a low cost of acquisition. I'm guessing he's also among the teams looking at Logan Stanley.

We don't know what Ristolainen is perhaps but finding out is going to be a costly mistake if it's not positive. Klingberg might have not worked out even if he was healthy but either way, he would have been off the books at the end of the season.

There was no way Lou was sending Toews to Toronto or anywhere in the East probably but especially to Toronto. Don't think Toronto had the cap to sign him anyways, but even if they did, no one wants to help Toronto and Lou probably wants to help them less. Now that Dubas is out of Toronto, partly because PIT had cap, he's able to get someone like Rielly Smith for just a 3rd. If he was still the Leafs' GM, Vegas is probably asking like a 2nd at least in the same situation.

Treliving is not in an enviable position, but he does have a ton of cap flexibility, so there's the opportunity for things to get much better over the next few years or much worse depending on the moves he makes today. I'm sure he's aware of that but let's just hope he manages to get the right balance of taking risks and playing it safe and between the present and the future.

Treliving is looking to add a RHD but with the traits that he wants to acquire, he'll have to acquire a LHD as well. The traits that I think he's looking to add with the addition(s) are 1) size & "snot" 2) a reliable defender for those difficult defensive assignments and 3) a puck-moving defender who can chip in offensively.

Tanev isn't the guy who can solve the "Leafs" issues on defense. He's not very strong in either power play or penalty kill, and he's not very good at transitioning to the offensive game. He's a solid player, but not worth giving up valuable assets for or signing to a long-term contract. I'd prefer to see the "Leafs" go after a more dynamic defenseman.