Maple Leafs trade pitch sends recently signed youngster to Wild
If the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to win a Stanley Cup next season, there's still a chance that they could go out and try to make a blockbuster move. However, for them to do that, there are a few different things they have to consider.
After losing Mitch Marner and possibly having to move on from others in the near future, the Maple Leafs could view next season as a year where they're going to struggle and try to figure things out.
However, given some of the other veterans on the roster, the Maple Leafs are still in a somewhat decent position to compete, at the very least.
Despite the uncertainties of what the Maple Leafs want to do, Heavy Sports' Cole Shelton recently proposed a trade idea to send them a veteran player in Mats Zuccarello of the Minnesota Wild. The downside in this trade would be sending a second-round pick to the Wild.
MORE:
Maple Leafs acquire: Mats Zuccarello
Wild acquire: Nick Robertson, 2027 second-round pick
'The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as Toronto would acquire Zuccarello from the Wild to fill a top-six role. The Wild, meanwhile, get a draft pick and a young NHL forward who could use a change of scenery.
'The Maple Leafs would add Zuccarello, who's entering the final year of his two-year, $8.25 million deal. Zuccarello can be Toronto's second-line left winger, which is a major need for the team. He's coming off a season where he recorded 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points in 69 games. His career high is 79 points and 26 goals,' he wrote.
Moving on from a second-round pick in the position the Maple Leafs are currently in would be interesting, but it isn't like it'll be the end-all be-all. Ultimately, the Maple Leafs probably need younger players, and Zuccarello wouldn't be that, but it's still an intriguing thought and something they could consider depending on how the remainder of the offseason goes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why 2020 No. 3 pick Jeff Okudah and the Vikings are the perfect fit for each other
EAGAN, Minn. — Over the winter, Jeff Okudah contacted Adam Stewart, a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Ohio State. Okudah's fifth NFL season was wrapping up, and he didn't know how much longer he wanted to dedicate himself to a dream that had scarred his body and mind. Okudah had rehabbed a torn labrum in college with Stewart. Deep conversations formed a relationship that they'd both worked to maintain. Advertisement 'He is one of the most cerebral people I have ever been around,' Stewart said recently. 'He is a guy who really thinks through everything that's being said, and everything that he says.' Contemplating his future after playing 77 snaps for the Houston Texans in 2024 had led Okudah back to Stewart. He asked if Stewart could concoct a letter of recommendation for an MBA program. Of course, Stewart agreed. He typed up a draft and saved it on his computer. That's where it remains. As it turns out, Okudah wasn't ready yet for Stewart to hit send. He wasn't ready to let go of the game that has given him solace from so much trauma. Okudah, 26, still believes. And perhaps just as important is that he's found a team in the Minnesota Vikings and a defensive coordinator in Brian Flores who still believe in him. 'We're going to have him in a role we feel pretty strongly about,' coach Kevin O'Connell said last week. 'To see him take it and run with it early on — he's had a phenomenal camp.' Flores smirked wryly at the mention of Okudah on Saturday. In 2020, when the Detroit Lions selected Okudah with the No. 3 pick, Flores' Miami Dolphins were focused on quarterbacks. They would select Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5, but during the pre-draft process, Flores watched the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Okudah. The defensive coordinator has remained intrigued because Okudah possesses many of the characteristics that coaches in Flores' defensive tree look for at the position: speed, length and toughness. While reimagining his defense for 2025, Flores reviewed Okudah's more recent tape with the Texans and Atlanta Falcons. What he didn't know was that Okudah had been spending time reading about his defense. 'I saw some of the articles writing about the versatility of this (Vikings) defense,' Okudah said. 'It caught my eye.' A few days into the free agency period, Minnesota's front office invited Okudah for a visit. The staffers impressed upon him that they thought he could contribute. Okudah wasn't sold by the words so much as the tone in which they were uttered. This didn't take Stewart by surprise. Some of Okudah's former coaches weren't shocked by that, either. Advertisement 'Jeff is one of those guys who plays for people,' said Greg Schiano, now the head coach at Rutgers. 'When he has a connection with a coach, he really plays for that coach.' Schiano reaped the rewards of that in Okudah's first two years at Ohio State. The two had developed a bond during Okudah's recruitment. That's how Okudah, then the No. 1 cornerback in the country from Grand Prairie, Texas, chose the Buckeyes over Florida State, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama. That's why Okudah played the early portion of his college career with a shredded shoulder. Their relationship was fused even further in January 2017, when Schiano informed the young freshman that Okudah's mother, Marie, had passed away after a battle with lymphoma. That news rattled Okudah to the core, evident in a letter he penned in The Players Tribune three years later. 'Dear Mom,' he wrote, 'I'm going to start by telling you something you already know: I miss you.' Football offered an outlet for his grief. Schiano never lost sight of how much Okudah was navigating inside. Neither did Jeff Hafley, who replaced Schiano as Ohio State's defensive backs coach in 2019. Hafley earned Okudah's trust by picking his brain. He didn't holler. He wouldn't berate him after a blown coverage. Instead, they dissected the nuances of the position, which Okudah has always been able to handle. Coincidentally, O'Connell, who is close friends with Hafley from their shared time with the Cleveland Browns in 2015, attended Okudah's pro day at Ohio State. 'I remember spending time with Jeff,' O'Connell said, 'and thinking to myself, 'This guy is going to be a top-five pick.'' 'Okudah owns the necessary physical and mental makeup to be a No. 1 cornerback early in his NFL career,' wrote The Athletic's Dane Brugler at the time, 'projecting as one of the best defensive prospects in the 2020 draft class.' The Lions nabbed him at No. 3. Advertisement But a groin injury torpedoed Okudah's rookie season. He tore his Achilles in the first game of his second season. In 2022, Okudah played well, holding up admirably in the first three weeks against DeVonta Smith, Terry McLaurin and Justin Jefferson. It helped that Okudah had safety help against the Vikings in Week 3, but Detroit's staff had only asked him to press Jefferson and trail him across the field. A refined role, one that he performed admirably. Rookie CB Jeff Okudah's first career interception! #OnePride 📺: #DETvsAZ on FOX📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: — NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2020 That year climaxed with an interception of Justin Fields in Chicago. Afterward, Okudah skipped joyfully off the field and then said, 'Winning these games, being able to make plays, I don't take any of that for granted. I've seen the other side of it.' He would see the other side again. An ankle injury in training camp sidelined him to open the 2023 season in Atlanta. Last year with the Texans, he aggravated his hip in Week 1 and missed the next nine games. A concussion ended his season in Week 17 and had him knocking on the door of leaving the game entirely. So why didn't he? Why is he still doing this? What is it that convinced him this time could be different? The answers to those questions are as much about the Vikings' views of him as they are about his goals for this fall. 'He's said how much he's excited about it there,' Stewart said. 'And that's one thing that can't be understated: He's smart enough to know when people have his best interest in mind, and to know who's really there to help him. He's not just going to let everybody in his circle.' Okudah is going to have to stay healthy for this story to have a spectacular finish. He's going to have to continue to marinate in a defense as complex as any in the league. If Minnesota has made anything clear to him thus far, it's that none of this will have to happen alone. Last week, he walked off the field alongside Flores. They were talking specifics: techniques, fundamentals, concepts. The nitty gritty of the game he still very much loves.
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
NFL longevity demands wisdom as much as determination and talent. These seasoned guys can explain
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Harrison Smith, just like anyone approaching middle age, has learned to accept the realities of getting older. The joints, for one, don't quite move as effortlessly as they once did. So that's where the 14th-year free safety for the Minnesota Vikings has aimed his recent training regimens, customizing resistance exercises to simulate the stress that NFL games can place on critical areas of the body. Reaching at full extension to make a tackle at full speed puts the arm muscles and tendons in a vulnerable position. The more fluidly the elbow can bend, the better. 'All the strength work in the world isn't really going to translate to real strength on the field if your joints don't have the range they once did, especially range under load,' Smith said. 'I've come up with different ways to work out that aren't necessarily just the traditional banging weights around. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but if you don't have your range ready, it's kind of almost counterproductive.' In a sport with notoriously short careers, as salary cap constraints perpetually conspire with constant injury risk and overall physical decline, the fountain of youth can seem like a unicorn. Smith's approach provides some valuable clues for finding the most vital source: wisdom. 'When you meet Harrison Smith, right away you understand why he might be the type of person to defy odds, and he's done nothing short of convincing us that over these few years,' Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. The sturdy 30 From a famous quarterback like Aaron Rodgers dropping back in the pocket to a steady six-time Pro Bowl pick like Smith patrolling the secondary, the young man's league still has some space for gray hair. But sticking around takes more than just determination and talent. 'I feel great, actually. I don't feel like a 37-year-old. Not sure what they're supposed to feel like, but I feel a little younger,' San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said at the beginning of training camp. 'As we get older, things start to change. I think you've got to pay a little bit more attention to what you put in your body, how you treat your body. Moreso than just being a football player, it's just a natural maturation of a human being. When you get older you can't do the same things you did when you were 22.' According to an Associated Press review of the 90-man rosters across the league last week, there are 30 players currently with an NFL club who were born in the 1980s. That's barely 1%. Not only has Generation X been long gone from the game, once Tom Brady retired in 2023, but Millennials are already in the minority. Rodgers, of course, is the oldest active player at 41, followed by New York Jets kicker Nick Folk (40) and Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (40). The sturdy 30 includes six long snappers, two punters and two kickers, plus nine quarterbacks — the positions that usually produce the longest-lasting players. 'You have to evolve every single year,' Kansas City Chiefs tight Travis Kelce said. Smith is the lone defensive back. Kelce is the only offensive skill-position player who's not a quarterback. Williams and Arizona Cardinals left tackle Kelvin Beachum, now a backup, are the offensive linemen. Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints and Nick Bellore of the Washington Commanders, who plays almost exclusively on special teams, are the linebackers. Then there's a well-decorated group of five defensive linemen: Calais Campbell (Arizona Cardinals), Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers), John Jenkins (Baltimore Ravens), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints) and Von Miller (Washington Commanders). 'I still feel great. I feel like I can go out there and dominate,' said Campbell, who returned this year to his original team, the Cardinals. 'I wish I had a magic formula. I think I've just been blessed. God's given me a lot of blessings to play this game I love.' Grinding it out The list has been trimmed, naturally, from last season. Nine players — tight end Marcedes Lewis, kickers Matt Prater, Justin Tucker and Greg Zuerlein, long snappers Jake McQuaide and Matt Overton, safety Kareem Jackson, defensive end Jerry Hughes and defensive tackle Linval Joseph — who logged time on the field in 2024 have not signed with a team this year. Their peers still grinding through summer practices fully realize they'll be permanently on the sideline sooner than later. 'I start a lot earlier doing my training. Just listen to my body when I need to take a rest,' Heyward said. 'But it's more just trying to get stronger as soon as possible after the season. Less time to recover, but recovering through the process.' Mastering the art of recovery, forever a moving target, is a primary focus. Moving around on Mondays after games can be a chore, but figuring out how to maximize those summer strength and conditioning sessions for a mid-30s player is also a challenge. Smith, a soft-spoken leader who'd much rather have a deep locker-room conversation about life in professional football than give the defense a rah-rah pregame speech, fields more questions from young players about recovery than any other topic. 'Sometimes you just grind it out and you don't feel good, and that's how it is,' said Smith, who also mixes in pickup basketball with his offseason work in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Pride and perspective are part of the NFL roadmap for longevity, too. Heyward's oldest son, 9-year-old Callen, has spent a few nights with him in his dorm room. 'There's a hunger there that I know I'm in a rare group that gets to see year 15, but it's something I constantly think about,' Heyward said. 'There's things I want to check off before I hang them up, and I haven't reached those goals yet.' ___ AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and AP Sports Writers David Brandt, Will Graves, Brett Martel, Noah Trister and David Skretta contributed. ___ AP NFL:
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
The little-known Sidney Crosby stories you've never heard until now
PITTSBURGH — Covering Sidney Crosby's career has been a reporter's dream. Three championships, 16 straight postseason appearances, 625 goals and 1,687 points have provided more than ample material to write about over the years. Crosby's politeness and likability only make the job that much easier. I'm often asked about my favorite Crosby stories, and I've told many over the years. I try not to repeat myself. When you cover a team for as long as I have, you notice things when the cameras are off. For better or worse, that's typically when the real person is on display. Crosby is as real as it gets. So, years of being nosy — or observant, as I prefer to say — have opened the door to interactions with and impressions of Crosby that have left a permanent image in my mind. Here are just a few stories that demonstrate who he is. It was the final season at Mellon Arena — the 2009-10 NHL season. The rain was pouring down on a classic, dismal Pittsburgh day in November. About an hour earlier, the Penguins had completed their practice at the arena. Back when they didn't have a state-of-the-art practice facility, most of their practices were at the Igloo. Advertisement Fans knew this, and what I surmised to be a group of high school kids was braving the elements and hoping for an autograph following practice. One by one, the Penguins whizzed out of the parking lot, passing up on the opportunity to get drenched while signing autographs. Then a familiar Range Rover pulled up beside the young fans. One by one, Crosby signed autographs. That part was nothing new. But then, I saw Crosby — without an umbrella — get out of the car and pose for a group picture. He stood and talked with them for a few minutes while the rain poured down. The next day after practice, I explained to him that I wasn't stalking him but had noticed what he did during a rainstorm. His response: 'I mean, they seemed like nice kids. They were out there dealing with the rain. Was the least I could do.' If I had a dime for every time I've seen Crosby inconvenience himself to make a fan's day, I'd have retired long ago. He truly does not see himself as being better than anyone else. Ryan Reaves didn't score many goals during his time in Pittsburgh. In fairness, that's not what he was paid to do. However, on Feb. 6, 2018, Reaves did score in a 5-4 win against a Vegas team that would acquire him from the Penguins later that month. After the next day's practice, Reaves said he realized when he got home that he'd left his garage door open during the game. Crosby, whose locker was nearby, quietly sat and listened while Reaves regaled the media with this story. As Reaves began to walk away, Crosby summoned him. 'You're going to leave the garage door open before every game now, I assume,' Crosby said. 'Right?' Reaves responded, 'Are you crazy? It's winter, man.' Then Reaves laughed and walked away. Crosby, whose superstitions are legendary, looked at me with a completely serious face and said: 'Can you imagine not leaving your garage door up for the rest of the season when you have a game? At least a home game? And I'm the crazy one?' Advertisement It was March 3, 2012, and it was a very strange time in young Crosby's life. He had missed the second half of the 2010-11 season with a career-threatening concussion. This drifted into the next season, as Crosby missed the season's first six weeks. He finally returned in November and had 12 points in his first eight games back, only to miss another three months as the concussion symptoms returned after a game against the Bruins. By March, Crosby was traveling with the team and gearing up for another return. He would skate by himself following practice for long periods of time, pushing himself to the brink, testing if his body was truly better. He almost took things too far in the high altitude of Denver following the Penguins' morning skate. In an otherwise empty building, Crosby was on the ice, and assistant coach Tony Granato put him through one drill after another. I sat behind the net, taking in the scene. By the time it was over, I wanted to bang on the glass and tell him to take a drink of water. Crosby sprinted back and forth, time and time again, exhausting himself like I had never seen any hockey player endure. It was like the famous scene in 'Miracle,' where Herb Brooks made the American team sick after an exhibition game performance he didn't like, only Crosby was dealing with a concussion in high altitude. 'Oh my God,' Crosby said recently. 'I remember that day. So well. Tony G. Oh man.' When the grueling workout was over, Crosby fell to his knees and stayed there for a few minutes. It must have been torture. But I think it was also the day he knew he was able to return. It was May 12, 2010, and the Montreal Canadiens had just closed down Mellon Arena in much the way they opened the building some 43 years earlier: with a loss. The Penguins would not repeat as Stanley Cup champions as they had sustained a stunning upset in Game 7, the last game ever played in the Penguins' original home. Advertisement A group of Penguins employees went on the ice a couple of hours after the game had ended, having one final skate on the Igloo ice in near-dark conditions. About an hour later, my work was finally done, and I was departing the old barn for the final time. I'm the sentimental type and went to that arena so many times as a kid, so I decided to take a stroll through the concourse one final time. While walking through the concourse and a few rows of empty seats in what was by then a pitch-black arena, I was startled to come upon human life in what I thought was an empty building. Sitting there, in Section B-30, were Crosby and his father, Troy. I don't think they were talking all that much. Crosby, only 22 at that point, hadn't lost many big series in his life, and I think that one particularly stung. So, he sat there in silence with his dad. If you had seen him and the look on his face, you'd have bet money that he would win more championships. I think the great ones hate losing more than they enjoy winning, and running into Crosby on that night made it very clear this was the case with him.
