When Nick Kypreos speaks, Leafs Nation tends to listen—and panic, just a little. His recent suggestion that the Toronto Maple Leafs could look to move Anthony Stolarz at the trade deadline is a classic example of the high-stakes poker game that is managing an NHL roster in a cap-constrained world.
As someone who has watched this team try to bandage their blue line for the better part of a decade, I see the logic, but I also see the massive risk. Kypreos suggests that if Stolarz cements himself as a solid 1A/1B option and young Dennis Hildeby proves he’s NHL-ready, Brad Treliving might have the luxury of “dangling” a goaltender to address the team’s most glaring weakness: a puck-moving defenseman to support Morgan Rielly.
Balancing the Crease vs. The Blue Line
Let’s look at this from a personal, expert perspective. Stolarz has been a revelation. He is calm, massive in the net, and provides a stability the Leafs haven’t consistently had. Trading him assumes that Joseph Woll can stay healthy—a bet that has burned the Leafs before—and that a rookie like Hildeby can handle the pressure cooker of a Toronto playoff run.
However, the asset management argument is strong. You trade from strength to address weakness. Right now, the Leafs have goaltending depth. What they don’t have is someone other than Rielly who can consistently transition the puck out of the zone with poise. If Stolarz’s value is at an all-time high after he returns from injury and regains his form, flipping him for a legitimate top-four defender is the kind of ruthless move that wins championships. But it requires nerves of steel.
The Desperate Need for a Puck-Moving Defenseman
The reality is, you cannot win the Stanley Cup if your transition game dies on the stick of your second pairing. Kypreos is identifying the right problem. The Leafs are often hemmed in their own zone not because they can’t defend, but because they can’t move the puck. A defenseman who can skate it out or make a crisp first pass changes the complexion of the entire forward group.
If trading Anthony Stolarz is the price to pay for that piece, it might be worth it. But if Treliving pulls the trigger, he better be right about Hildeby, or the Leafs will find themselves with a great defense and nobody to stop the puck.
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The post Is Trading Anthony Stolarz a Mistake? analyzing the Latest Leafs Rumor appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
