Maple Leafs Should Acquire Chris Stewart

At 6’2 and 228 lbs, Chris Stewart is exactly the type of player the Toronto Maple Leafs should target.  His size, robust style, and scoring ability certainly make him a Brian Burke – type player.

Clearly, it has been a difficult year for him with the St. Louis Blues this season.  In 52 games, he has only managed 22 points (11 goals and 11 assists).  However, two seasons ago with the Colorado Avalanche, he registered 28 goals and 36 assists and appeared to be well on his way to becoming one of the leagues young rising power forwards.

Don’t expect Brian Burke to be quiet much longer.  Having lost 3 in a row, and hanging onto the 8th and final playoff spot by their fingernails, the Maple Leafs could very well see reinforcements added to their club quite soon.

Buckle up, it’s that time of year again.

In the past two seasons, GM Brian Burke has managed to fleece both the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks.  On January 31st, 2010, Burke acquired Dion Phaneuf, Keith Aulie and Fredrik Sjostrom for Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, and Ian White.  On February 9th, 2011 his trade with the Ducks brought all-star forward Joffrey Lupul and smooth skating defenseman Jake Gardner to the Maple Leafs for veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin.

Each trade was viewed as a salary dump by each team, but has handsomely paid off for Toronto as they have not only received quality play from the alleged underachievers, but they also got hold of two very promising defenseman.

The good news for the Maple Leafs is that Stewart’s salary cap hit is 2.875 million, making him expensive enough for the Blues to consider moving him.

What could the Maple Leafs offer St. Louis?

The Maple Leafs could dangle Nikolai Kulemin.  Another option could be to offer a package of Clarke MacArthur and Cody Franson, and/or a combination of either player along with a prospect and/or a draft pick to the Blues.

 

Your Thoughts: Should the Maple Leafs trade for Chris Stewart?

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