Leafs push 2 new forwards on trade block to sign cheaper alternatives on the market

The Toronto Maple Leafs need to find a way to be cap compliant before the 2024-25 season opener, and one solution has emerged in general manager Brad Treliving trading two of his roster players for cheaper replacements: Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf, according to Spencer Lazary at The Hockey Writers.

“Trading Kampf and Jarnkrok would clear up $5.5 million in cap space, and they could be dealt for players who could help the roster or for draft picks to restock the cupboard.”

Treliving could target both Jarnkrok and Kampf to make room on his cap look internally first for these replacements, possibly promoting Pontus Holmberg from the AHL to center the fourth line in Toronto.
Lazary also points to Sammy Blais as an option on the free agent market or even Daniel Sprong as great options but for a much lower cost.

“At 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, Blais is a true fourth-line grinder. Last season, he had 194 hits in 53 games with the St. Louis Blues, and in 257 career games, he had 835 hits. Plus, new Maple Leafs bench boss Craig Berube is his old coach. He would also likely sign for around $900,000–$1 million for a season. – the two highlighted sentences are confusing and disrupt the flow.”

When it comes to Sprong, Lazary adds:

“Daniel Sprong could replace Jarnkrok. I’m not sure why he hasn’t been signed yet, but it could be his asking price. He is a great secondary scoring option that the Maple Leafs need to pursue. Sprong can easily score 40–50 points in the team’s top nine. Last season with the Detroit Red Wings, he scored 18 goals and 25 assists; the year prior, with the Seattle Kraken, he had 46, a career-high. He and Jarnkrok are almost the same size (Sprong is three pounds heavier), and they both bring speed and a hard forecheck. It may cost the Maple Leafs $1.5 million for a season, but he would help provide some scoring in the bottom six that they badly need.”

There is still a lot of work to do for Treliving and the Maple Leafs this offseason (and we did not even mention the whole mess with Mitch Marner and the constant trade chatter). Cheaper replacement depth players would allow Toronto to get some breathing room on the cap and maybe a better feeling when it comes to dealing with Marner’s big bucks and depth up front.