Trade proposal between Leafs and division rival sends 6-foot-6 forward to Toronto
With Toronto needing successful bottom six forwards, one fan's new trade pitch would bring Buffalo Sabres' Jordan Greenway to the Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gradually dropped off the planet regarding changing their lineup. Following their acquisition of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the biggest news they made was their decision to pass the captaincy from John Tavares down to Auston Matthews.
While placing their most valuable player in the bigger leadership position, will likely help them in the coming season, they still have positions unanswered for, namely serious bottom-six forwards. Fans have taken it upon themselves to scout for a possible Tyler Bertuzzi replacement, or someone who can support who will.
One Toronto hopeful used the PuckPedia website to mock up his proposal to fill the role. The user's suggestion would send away Pontus Holmberg and Florida's 2025 second-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres. In exchange, they would receive Jordan Greenway with half his salary retained.
Jordan Greenway has recorded 52 goals and 151 points in 401 career games, posting 10 and 28 respectively in 67 games last season. Pontus Holmberg, alternatively, recorded 7 goals and 17 points last season after playing 54 games. However, provided his truncated average ice time, Pontus Holmberg recorded a tenth of a point more per hour on average than Jordan Greenway last season.
With his current contract standing at $800k, sending him with a second-round pick for a less productive player who cost almost twice as much, even when half-retained, seems counterintuitive to the Maple Leafs' current trajectory.
Though Jordan Greenway is two years older and has five more seasons of NHL experience, there is no indication that he has any more potential than Pontus Holmberg has with the Toronto Maple Leafs. If fans really want to fill in the bottom six forward positions, they should look to aim a little bit higher.
| POLL | ||
Which team would benefit more from this Jordan Greenway and Pontus Holmberg trade? | ||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 175 | 57.2 % |
| Buffalo Sabres | 63 | 20.6 % |
| About even | 68 | 22.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
