After making a plethora of moves to bolster their back end on and around July 1, it sounds like the Leafs are now turning their focus up front.
According to sources close to TheLeafsNation, over the past week, Toronto’s been scouring the trade market in search of some forward depth. Furthermore, there’s no question that the departure of Tyler Bertuzzi has left a sizable hole in the top-six. In a perfect world, Easton Cowan grabs that roster spot, but it’s always important to temper expectations with young players. The Leafs realize that, and that’s why they’ve been looking externally for potential replacement options.
On paper, Blake Coleman in Calgary would make a lot of sense. That said, by now, we’re all familiar with what could be standing in the way of a possible deal.
There’s no harm in trying, right?
Seriously though, why wouldn’t the Flames listen? They’re in sell off mode with an eye firmly on the future.
Screw the front office animosity —if it’s even a thing.
For starters, the 32-year-old still has three years left on his six-year, $29.4 million contract. He would come with a bit of term and a decent cap hit, but indisputably, he’s the type of player that would make a lot of sense for Brad Treliving to target. Afterall, he was the general manager who lured the Texas native to Calgary in the first place.
Furthermore, Coleman’s coming off a career high 30 goal campaign. Considering he’s never sniffed that plateau before, it probably would be in Calgary’s best interest to at least contemplate the idea of selling high.
On the surface, the veteran forward’s exactly what the Leafs should be looking for. His versatility should be considered a big-time asset. As he proved in Tampa – when he won back-to-back Stanley Cups – Coleman can excel in a shutdown role. In addition to that, he’s performed very strong in recent seasons in an elevated role for the rebuilding Flames.
He can play the wing, he can play up the middle, he can kill penalties, he plays with edge, he’s won before, and he’s got footspeed. Almost to a tee, Blake Coleman is the prototypical Craig Berube player.
In the grand scheme of things, Calgary’s going younger, and by the time they’re ready to compete again in the Western Conference, it’s unlikely that Coleman will even be around. Over and above all that, the Flames have been very creative with the structuring of some of their marquee trades over the past six months, which is good news for a cap team like Toronto. On top of that, even though there’s been no official public confirmation of interest, Nick Robertson and Timothy Liljegren are two names that would make a lot of sense for a rebuilding team like Calgary to target.
Translation: There’s a deal to be had here.
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