If the Kirill Marchenko rumours end up falling flat, the Maple Leafs have the perfect team to pivot to and it involves taking a piece of Washington's winger depth.
We've heard several reports over the summer that the Columbus Blue Jackets were looking to deal Marchenko after being unable to sign him to a long-term extension. His name popped up again as several teams have been asking the Blue Jackets about what it'll take to acquire him, with the Maple Leafs in the mix.
He would certainly help them out but he would cost a lot of money and assets. Other teams are in a better spot to put out an offer for Marchenko and it could leave the Maple Leafs to pivot, and they have the perfect team to do so.
Toronto can look to Washington's deep lineup for help if Marchenko isn't the answer
If you take a look at teams around the league, you'd be hard-pressed to find a team with more wing depth and support than the Washington Capitals. After not knowing if Alex Ovechkin would return, the team went bonkers this offseason and added Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, and still have standouts like Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Ryan Leonard.
Looking at their depth chart, you start to see some surprising names sitting in the bottom-six all thanks to that overload of wingers:
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While you aren't going to get your hands on Ovechkin, Wilson, or newcomer Alex Tuch, there is a world where the Capitals could offload one of their players like Jenner or Anthony Beauvillier and still be in great hands. The team also has Ethen Frank and Ivan Miroshnichenko in their system who are ready to step up as well.
It's actually a little crazy to see how Washington built their lineup and was able to fit everyone in while also keeping themselves flexible. Ovechkin on the second line is crazy to see but if it's truly his last year, then the greatest goal-scorer ever is a pretty good option to put up against a slightly weaker matchup.
Which player makes the most sense for the Maple Leafs to target?
As much as it would be nice to get Wilson or Tuch, that's not feasible but they do have interesting options.
Jenner was a target for the team in free agency but was unable to bring him in. He'd fit perfectly in the top nine and be able to play both wing and centre, bring above-average defence, physicality, and elite face-off metrics. He also only costs $5.75M which while fairly pricey, is a steal compared to other deals around the league.
Another interesting option is going after Frank or Miroshnichenko instead. Frank had 12 goals and 24 points in 62 games with the Capitals while adding 45 blocks and 53 hits. He's a solid bottom-six scoring option that won't cost too much at only $2M.
Though the best fit may indeed be Miroshnichenko. He's a bully who loves to get physical in order to get the puck, he's got a mean streak but also great hands. He put up 34 points in 41 AHL games with Hershey and three points in 13 games with the Capitals.
But he's on the outside looking in, and the Maple Leafs could give themselves a 22-year-old physical puck handler to build alongside Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan, and he fits perfectly with Toronto's budget at he costs only $925,000 and has no trade protection.
Marchenko would be the big fish that Toronto would love to catch but they may not have enough bait to do so. They can instead switch gears and focus on the Capitals roster and see if they can't pluck away the perfect player to round out the lineup.
Which winger would you want Toronto to acquire?
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