Report: Maple Leafs Willing To Trade Tyler Bozak; Phil Kessel Effect A Concern

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most interesting teams to watch as the March 2 NHL trade deadline approaches. It’s quite possible the Leafs could enter a full rebuild, which would make certain non-core players expendable.

One player the Leafs are willing to part with is center Tyler Bozak, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

“There’s increased chatter around Bozak, as Damien Cox reported last Saturday,” Friedman wrote Friday. “As a general rule, the tightened cap has teams nervous about term, and he’s got three years remaining with a $4.2 million (salary cap) hit. He’s had a rough year and a change of scenery benefits everyone. What do potential trade partners see in him? If it’s a No. 2 center, that cap number is reasonable. If a No. 3, it’s high. But this is a move Toronto is trying to make.”

Bozak has played a top-six role for the Leafs over the last few seasons and has spent a large majority of his shifts alongside high-scoring winger and friend Phil Kessel. Bozak has tallied 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 56 games this season, which isn’t bad, but the concern for teams in need of center depth is his scoring production away from Kessel.

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Unless a team would be able to pair Bozak with an elite goal scorer, he probably won’t provide enough value for a player with a $4.2 million cap hit through the 2017-18 season.

There’s no rush to trade Bozak given the term he has left on his contract. Toronto could wait until the summer when teams have more cap flexibility.

Thumbnail photo via John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports Images