How the Leafs Can Successfully Pull Off an Erik Karlsson Trade

With a new regime in town, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to take another big step in their Stanley Cup goals this year, and it appears they're ready to swing big this off-season.

Erik Karlsson

Early on Saturday, the three-time, and reigning Norris Trophy winner revealed that he had made contact with several teams, the Maple Leafs being one of them, and now, it appears they are a genuine contender in the race for the veteran blue liner.


Unfortunately, the Leafs are well over the salary cap, while Karlsson comes with a major cap hit, so how can a stacked, playoff ready team like this land the veteran?

What moves can the Leafs make?

Firstly, once the team move Matt Murray and retain Ilya Samsonov as well as moving Jake Muzzin to LTIR, but unfortunately, that's not going to be enough to make room for Karlsson.

As suggested on Maple Leafs Insider, the team will need to move one of two defenceman in TJ Brodie, who has significant links to new GM Brad Treliving or Connor Timmins, which could put them well under the salary cap if done properly.

Once there, the team need to make room for the hefty $11 million price tag that comes with Karlsson, and to do that, it appears William Nylander is the odd-man out of the core four, so if the Leafs want to land the big defensive star, they'll need to part ways with their youngest offensive star.

As Read on Maple Leafs Insider - A look at how the Leafs could afford to take on Erik Karlsson with minimal salary retention