Toronto Maple Leafs Looking To Trade For Sharks Top-Four Defenseman
The San Jose Sharks are without a doubt one of the worst teams in the entire NHL. Somehow, the team has managed to claw their way out of last place, but even with their recent hot stretch, the team will certainly be sellers at the trade deadline. Now the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly interested in one of their defensemen.
Maple Leafs Looking At 25-Year-Old Sharks Defenseman
There are not too many names on the Sharks that will gather much trade interest, but one of them is 25-year-old blueliner Mario Ferraro. Ferraro has been part of the Sharks leadership group over the last couple of seasons, but at the end of the day the NHL is a business, and Ferraro could bring a lot of future value back to the Sharks. According to David Pagnotta, the Leafs have expressed interest in the young defenseman.
"I believe the Leafs also have interest in is Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks. The 25-year-old comes with a $3.25 million cap hit and has two more years left on his contract after this season. The Sharks are willing to listen and they are also one of the few teams also willing to take on contracts from cap-strapped clubs (for a price)."
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Ferraro recently scored his first goal of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ferraro's Advanced Stats Paint A Bleak Picture For Potential Buyers
All of that being said, whether or not Ferraro would actually help improve the Leafs remains to be seen. The 25-year-old is not known for his offense and has just 5 points this season. Furthermore, his advanced stats indicate that he is best suited for a 3rd pairing role. While that might be the role Brad Treliving has in mind for him, he could easily be thrust into a bigger role yet again due to the Leafs numerous injuries on defense.
Mario Ferraro has been playing in a role well above his capability. So this poor play isn't entirely his fault. Regardless, he's not the pulse of the team. Hertl and Sturm are a better example. Trading him and his $3.3M salary would be ideal. #sjsharks
However, it should also be noted that players on bad teams, particularly those who do not produce a ton of offense themselves, often see their advanced stats take a hit due to the players around him. Private analytics models that each NHL team has may paint a better picture for Ferraro. At the very least, he would add depth and toughness to the Leafs blueline that has proven to be quite fragile this season.
| POLL | ||
17 DECEMBRE | 238 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs Looking To Trade For Sharks Top-Four Defenseman Should the Leafs trade for Mario Ferraro? | ||
| No, he'll be too expensive | 48 | 20.2 % |
| No, he's not that good | 92 | 38.7 % |
| Yes, they need someone just like him | 56 | 23.5 % |
| Yes, they need every defenseman they can get | 42 | 17.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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