Price is set for the Maple Leafs to acquire Kiefer Sherwood
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the Vancouver Canucks have set their price on Kiefer Sherwood, and if Toronto wants him then they'll need to pay a very expensive price.
There have been recent reports that the Vancouver Canucks are willing to sell off their veterans in the hopes of getting younger, and have several players that could entice contenders this season.
Kiefer Sherwood has been a name that we've heard circulating, and with his mix of scoring and physicality, he's going to have a fair share of interested teams.
With a possible big payday ahead of him and a bargain contract this season, he's not going to come cheap, and the acquisition cost is expected to be high, according to David Pagnotta.
The Fourth Period's Pagnotta appeared on Jeff Marek's 'The Sheet' podcast and explained that the Canucks' price on Sherwood is going to cost teams a lot more than they expected, and it will cost at least a first-rounder.
Pagnotta stated:
I've been hearing it's a 1st round pick plus for Kiefer Sherwood.
That's quite the expensive price for a player who has just started to showcase his offensive talents.
What a 'first-round pick plus' actually means in a Kiefer Sherwood deal
Sherwood, 30, started off hot this season with nine goals through 12 games, though has only scored three times over his last 13, but it's his physicality and defense that has his price shooting up.
It's not often you find a player who can score 15-20 goals, give you 200+ hits, play both the power play and penalty kill, and isn't afraid to put his body on the line for his team.
So the Canucks want to get as much as they can for him, especially if he is getting a much bigger salary this summer and with how many teams may be desperate to improve -- they'll pay that price both now and later.
While it's not exactly the same style of player, the Colorado Avalanche paid a hefty sum for veteran forward Brock Nelson. They sent Calum Ritchie (young player), Oliver Kylington, a first and a third-round pick.
Sherwood is younger, scores --albeit at a lower pace, but offers much more defensive versatility and an ultra-physical game that few have in addition to that scoring. That's going to cost a lot.
Does Kiefer Sherwood move the needle enough for the Maple Leafs to pay that price?
If the Leafs wanted to add a serious physical presence and add that toughness and grit while also improving their top-nine offense then he absolutely does move the needle.
But it's not as if Toronto has a cupboard full of assets, and if a first-round pick is non-negotiable then that means the team would be trading the one remaining first-round pick they hold over the next three drafts.
Plus with the Canucks wanting even more according to Pagnotta, you've also got to deal a player like Nick Robertson, Matias Maccelli, or Jacob Quillan.
Toronto already isn't that young or fast, and trading away one of your speedy guys on top of a first round pick is a tough pill to swallow especially since we've seen past trades fail before.
He would be the perfect Craig Berube type player, and if the team were a bit more proactive then perhaps they would have pursued him in the summer before his price jumped.
But if the team also wants to improve their top-four defense, that's going to cost a first-round pick in addition to other assets, so the team needs to make a choice especially if this next month shows they need a player like Sherwood.
If Toronto gets on a hot streak, and they feel that Sherwood is enough of a piece to push them over the top then going for broke and trading away their last real bargaining chip could pay off in a big way for Brad Treliving, and it's a gamble the team may decide is worth making.
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