What would you be willing to give up for the Leafs to obtain Jordan Staal?

I realize that, at this time of year, most discussions around the future of the Maple Leaf franchise have to do with speculative notions.  This includes the question:  which of the promising prospects in the system already with the Marlies might we see promoted to the big club as early as next season?  This is a rational thought, as these are guys that we have under contract already, or will re-sign shortly.  And we can see with our own eyes how they are performing in the current Calder Cup playoffs at the American Hockey League level.

But we have also moved into more of a "fantasy" realm.  Thus we have also discussed at some length, in this space, the possibility of the Leafs making a play for any number of UFA’s (Semin, Suter, etc.) or players who will likely be traded this summer (Nash, Luongo…) by their current teams.

But one of the more intriguing names that is seemingly “out there” is one of the most enticing of all—Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal.  The talk around Staal’s future is not going away, which tells me that there is something to this particular notion.

Now, we all understand that there is an obvious (and historical) penchant in Leaf world to, if not assume, at least suspect that every living, breathing high-end hockey player out there will somehow become a Leaf, either as a UFA signing or in a blockbuster trade of some description.  Of course, Brian Burke has helped that fantasy along since his arrival in Toronto (now going on four years ago) by adroitly bringing Dion Phaneuf and the precocious young Jake Gardiner into the fold for precious little going the other way.  This doesn’t even take into account the man we thought we were taking on as a mere salary dump, Joffrey Lupul, who become an NHL star again in his first full season with the Leafs.  And that’s to Burke’s credit, that he could manage to bring in such valuable assets without giving away much of anything on the then current rosters that would have had any long-term impact on the franchise.

Our GM has also added the uber-talented Phil Kessel, so bringing in big names is not outside his grasp, clearly.  And Burke has also built up hopes around what “could be”, including publicly throwing out the idea of moving up in the draft a few years ago to get at John Tavares.  Bottom line?  We are accustomed to being tantalized.

Yes, as Leaf loyalists, we have almost always had this notion that because we’re the Leafs, guys want to come here.  Mostly, it’s that we just want them here.  Hey,  I’ve often expressed frustration that some of the really good players I’ve wanted to see play with the Leafs over the past many decades either never got here (which only makes sense; you don’t always get what you want) or did end up with the blue and white, but unfortunately, it was after their “best before” date. (Pierre Pilote, Gary Sabourin, Dan Maloney, Dale McCourt, Brad Maxwell and Al Secord are just a few examples over the years of fine players who arrived here just a bit too late in their careers to have the kind of long-term impact they would no doubt have had if we had acquired them just a bit sooner…For his part, Pilote was a wonderful defenseman, perhaps the best in the league in the early and mid 1960s.  But he retired after just one un-satisfying season in Toronto. At left, in one of those classic Harold Barkley photos, Pilote is in action with the Leafs against Montreal's Jean Beliveau.)

In any event, I completely understand that all kinds of things would have to transpire for the Penguins to even consider moving Staal in the first place.  He still has a year to go on his contract with the Pens at a “modest” 4 million a season—high for a third- line player, but likely a salary that pales compared with what he will command as a premier UFA in the summer of 2013.

The questions are obvious and many, the simplest being:  do the Penguins even want to move him? (The only logical reason they would is the cap, and the presence of two other superstars, Malkin and Crosby, on the high-priced roster.)  But clearly, Staal has a winning pedigree, has already helped the Penguins win a Stanley Cup and, at 23, has many peak years ahead of him in the league.

It doesn’t take much in the way of projecting to suppose he would be a first or second-line center on many other very good NHL teams.  (Hey, I’m guessing most of us would agree that he has s standing invitation to assume the number-one spot here in Toronto if he is so inclined…)  While he might be more disposed to play with one of his brothers, either  in Carolina or New York, my guess is his strong preference would be to stay exactly where he is now—all things being equal.

That said, could he in fact be in play this summer, if the Pens are looking to clear cap space or pre-empt losing him for nothing a year from now? (A quick aside, it may seem like hockey heresy to even suggest it, but if I were in Ray Shero’s shoes in Pittsburgh, the guy I would look to trade just might be Malkin.  As gifted as the guy is, if I had to pick Penguin centers based on grit and heart, I would probably opt to retain Crosby and Staal.  But that’s just me.  And I recognize that Crosby is in a tough spot, with regard to long-term health issues…)

If we buy into the thought that he will become too rich for Pittsburgh’s blood, and thus transport ourselves to a fantasy world where a 23 year-old star center is potentially available, what is your strategy?  Do you hope  he reaches free-agency and then make him a wealthy Maple Leaf (if he is even interested in playing closer to his Thunder Bay-based family of origin), or would you make an aggressive play to trade for him this summer, so you can try to sign him to a long-term contract before he becomes a UFA and thereby see him become a core player (and possibly a first-line center) for the next half-dozen seasons in Toronto?

If so, what would you be prepared to give, to entice Shero and the Penguins—more than, say, other teams that also have assets to spare—in the hope of obtaining a bona fide emerging star who is a legitimate impact player all season long, including the playoffs- when it matters most?

We can be certain of this:  unlike the players I mentioned above, Staal would be a Leaf in the very prime of his career.  We wouldn't have to worry about getting him too late.

Send your thoughts along….