Bob Mackenzie of TSN.ca is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks have swapped draft picks. The Leafs sent a second and third round pick in 2011 in exchange for a second round pick in 2010 that used to belong to the Leafs.
Maple Leafs Ready To Make a Move?
On the surface it appears to be a strange trade for the Leafs but Mackenzie explains that it may lead to a bigger move by the Leafs.
Well, the move now gives Toronto their own first, second and third-round picks in the next NHL entry draft, which is the prerequisite for any team that would want to submit an offer sheet on a top restricted free agent player this summer.
This deal doesn’t mean the Leafs will submit an offer sheet but it now allows them to do so if they so choose.
This trade will lead to some wild speculation over the next few days. It’s no secret the Leafs were hot on the trail of Kessel all summer. Could this be a move that is designed to get Kessel to Toronto? It seems like the only logical explanation for the Leafs to make this trade.
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