A hockey trade is going to be hard to do for Tanev. He plays a premium position and it's exactly that position that we would want. There aren't many teams with a decent, younger RHD that would want to swap with us. The other option would be to go for a center, but I'd rather stand put in that scenario. A 1 for 1 for a decent prospect is what we all want, but it happens rarely, and you can't blame the Leafs fans for not wanting to trade Liljegren, his value is decently high, higher than the 17OA at which the got him. That doesn't make him perfect, he is far from it. Not sure if he is a blue-chipper at this point, but he sure is doing great. There's a lot of sentimental attachment now.
The premise for a trade has been pretty much discussed to death. How about the same premise but still something that hasn't been put down properly:
1st 2018 (25) + Räsänen + conditional 2nd 2019
- Any top 4 D in this league should honestly command a first round pick. There are certain cases where I'd be skeptical, like in the case of Seabrook, due to contract issues or age. Tanev is 28, which is still decently young and Toronto would be getting him to play with Rielly on the first pairing. The price should be put accordingly.
- Vancouver very much needs that RHD prospect. Räsänen isn't the blue-chipper we'd want back, but he is a recent 2nd round pick and is still more than a decent prospect. I like having a guy with size on the back-end, and we really lack that in the prospect pool anyway. The loss of Räsänen isn't that big for the Leafs. They have Liljegren for the top pairing.
- The first rounder is the 25th, which is quite late. There are still a bunch of great prospects available, but the chance that pick develops to something like Tanev is low, so another pick would have to come with it. The condition will depend on the amount of games he plays. If Tanev plays all the games next season, it's a first (we all know this won't happen, but if it does then the Leafs win aye). If Tanev plays at least 70 games, due to injury (this isn't an issue, giving Liljegren 10 games in the NHL would probably do him a lot of good) then it's a second. If he plays between 41-70 games, due to injury, it's a third, and if he misses the season then it becomes a fourth round pick.
For those Canucks fans who are optimistic about Tanev - I mean come on, you can only have so many freak injuries and mump outbreaks in a row, he is going to catch a break sometime - the return would be in the ballpark of what we would want, which is a 1st + 2nd + prospect. For the Leafs fans who feel like Tanev will basically die next season, they pay for a top 4 D without giving up anything of high value, a low first, a low fourth and a prospect. It's a risk but I if it works out, then the Leafs get a great defenseman for lower than market value (1st+2nd+2nd). The Marlies are probably the best team in the AHL, and you've got enough RHD that could settle on the bottom pairing. It's not ideal, but you accommodate the missing games. I doubt it will be even close to 40 games missed next year. Playing with Rielly might even make up for it. I see about 15 missed games next year.
