Leafs about to pull the trigger on trade for Gudas?

Dubas might have found the perfect fit in Philly…

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Leafs about to pull the trigger on trade for Gudas?
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are making an attempt to be considered legitimate contenders this season and the recent addition of Jake Muzzin is a clear statement of intent from GM Kyle Dubas.

However, we all feel more needs to be done and several insiders have commented on the Leafs’ priorities ahead of the trade deadline and what move could take place within the last 12 days of action before Feb. 25. One thing that keeps being mentioned is the need for a gritty right-handed defenseman and it seems like we can’t deny any longer that Philadelphia Flyers enforcer Radko Gudas would be a great fit in Toronto. 

Gudas is a 28 year old right handed defenseman with one year left on a very reasonable $3.5 million dollar per year contract. He would fill the void for a right-handed shot with excellent defensive impacts in Toronto, no doubt. 

In his latest The Athletic’s column, Leafs insider James Mirtle repeated how Gudas could be a great target for Dubas in the coming days. 

It isn’t the first time Gudas is linked to the Maple Leafs. Back in January, during the “Headlines” segment on Hockey Night In Canada Sportsnet’s NHL insiders Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman touched on the Maple Leafs’ search for additional help on the blue line, and it was Kypreos who brought up Gudas. 

“Another name I keep hearing is Radko Gudas from the Philadelphia Flyers,” said Kypreos   . “A lot of teams telling me arguably he might of been their most consistent defenseman up until this point. He could replace a guy like during the segment. Roman Polak who last year offered them a lot of grit.”

Gudas has been fairly consistent for the Flyers this season, playing well overall, he brings a ton of grit to the table, and he currently still has an additional year remaining on his contract after this current season at a very reasonable cap hit. 

The Flyers could dare to ask for Nikita Zaitsev, who the Leafs could agree to move as they will face quite the cap crunch next season. Since breaking into the league, things have been on a steady decline for Zaitsev. Dubas could see Gudas as a perfect replacement, an even better one for a fact. 

If not, Mirtle also names some of the Leafs’ tradeable assets. However, they sound pretty valuable to fetch Gudas. 

1. Rasmus Sandin (almost untouchable)
2. Timothy Liljegren
3. 2020 first-round pick
4. Jeremy Bracco
5. 2019 second-round pick
6. Other prospects 

Let stay tuned, there is less than two weeks left…