Leafs Gain Grabner and Flexibility

			2015		2016
To Toronto	POS	Age	G/W	P	Cap
Michael Grabner	F	27	8	13	$3 mil
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To Long Island	POS	Age	G/W	P	Cap
Taylor Beck	F	24	8	16	$875k
Carter Verhaeghe	F	20	0	0	$778k
Matt Finn	D	21	0	0	$858k
Tom Nilsson	D	22	0	0	$825k
Christopher Gibson	G	22	0	0	$650k

The Toronto Maple Leafs achieve a couple things in a trade, as training camps open across the league: 1) they get a whole bunch faster, assuming Michael Grabner can stay healthy and 2) they unloaded a whole bunch of minor league contracts that count against their maximum of 50 that they get in a year, dealing five AHL prospects away.

Grabner, a new addition to the Injury Prone List this year, is ridiculously fast on the ice, but injury problems have really hurt his overall production in his career, despite showing flashes of some real talent.  Last season with the Islanders, he was limited to only 34 games, scoring 8 goals and 13 points.

Assuming that Grabner plays a full season, I think he is still a pool worthy player, but that comes as a massive gamble and one that you would really have to be living on the edge to take.  I have Grabner in as a 35-point player, production-wise, which would make him into a later round pick, but he could find an upside that would make it worth your while.

The return for the Islanders is a boat load of prospects, which is more likely to land in the AHL than anywhere else.  Taylor Beck was the only one of the five to have any NHL experience last season and he has a chance at cracking the Islanders, if some of their youth doesn't push through.  A goaltending prospect like Christopher Gibson, fell through the depth chart in Toronto and lands on Long Island, where it may not be so deep.  That could be a good turnaround for him.