05 Sep 2018 06:15:32
Tor - D Jake Gardiner (1yr x 4.05 mill), 2019 1st, 2020 3rd, F Jeremy Bracco

Min - D Jonas Brodin (3yrsx $4.16mill)

Gardiner is the leafs 2nd LHD behind Rielly. He has this season left and is due a raise. If he would take $5.25-5.5 mill it’s possible he could fit, however he may want to cash in for more after a few good seasons and he still isn’t exactly the Defensive player we need. Brodin is much more rounded player, a bit younger and 2 more years of cost certainty which is very important going forward in Toronto.

Minnesota gets a good puck moving LHD to take Brodins spot in the lineup. They’re also Gardiners hometown team so may be able to resign him a little cheaper than other teams. They get a mid to late 1st rounder, a 3rd rounder and a small but very skilled prospect who is stuck behind a lot of talent in Toronto. The Wild have a decent team but with Suter (33) Staal (33) Parise (34) and Koivu (35), stocking some younger assets doesn’t hurt.

1.) 05 Sep 2018
05 Sep 2018 06:25:42
Interesting if wild can sign Gardiner after the year.

2.) 05 Sep 2018
05 Sep 2018 07:08:28
Not saying it’s the perfect move for Minnesota because Gardiner is going to be a UFA but is Brodin worth that?

3.) 05 Sep 2018
05 Sep 2018 13:43:14
@ebs, I get what you’re saying but leafs are getting a player 3 years younger with 3 years term left. I feel like the cost certainty alone is worth a premium. Also we would be asking the Wild to take a player 3 years older with only a year left on his contract at a similar cap hit. They don’t need to make this change right now and if you don’t make it worth their while, they just won’t. A late first, a 3rd and Bracco I would be willing to sacrifice to make our D stronger and be able to keep our forward group together for 2 extra years cap wise. Others may not be so willing, but I feel it’s what it could take.

4.) 05 Sep 2018
05 Sep 2018 15:47:42
And @mcjesus, minny could sign him the day the trade is made. They could have a 5 x $6mill extension ready to maximize their return.

5.) 05 Sep 2018
05 Sep 2018 17:15:48
as a leafs fan I would rather trade gardiner for a better dman than brodin if he is traded at all. and personally I'm not sure brodin is worth a 1st,3rd and bracco in the first place. he has a career, 0.247 ppg and a career high of 25 points with 21 points last year. is he a good dman? Sure, but i'd rather put our pieces into a better dman. I understand the value of him being 3 yrs younger and 3 years term (nice good contract i will admit) but I definitely would rather have one year of gardiner+1st+3rd+bracco than brodin.

hope that wasn't too biased haha.

6.) 05 Sep 2018
05 Sep 2018 19:38:38
@Big Z. That’s fair. I wasn’t worried at all about his career points per game or his pt total last year for 2 reasons. 1 is that no one on minny (forwards included) ever put up big numbers, I think mid 60s leads their team every year. Secondly, we will get plenty of offense from our forwards (arguably the best top 9 in the league), Rielly and Dermott and hopefully zaitsev again on the backend. I’m more concerned with the other half of the game that has plagued us for years.

7.) 06 Sep 2018
06 Sep 2018 04:22:43
Think brodin and Gardiner would be a very nice pair but got to give one up for the other, its trading offensive de for defensive de which I'd agree Toronto would be better off for.