If the Washington Capitals make Tom Wilson available for trading this summer, Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs should take a long, hard look.
In theory, the 29-year-old forward, who is a year away from unrestricted free agency, is exactly what Toronto needs. He’s big, strong, and most importantly, he can play hockey fairly effectively. Rest assured, there is only one Tom Wilson in the NHL for a reason. Over the weekend, multiple reports indicated that some teams – namely Los Angeles – were already beginning to get a sense of the situation. interesting.
There is no doubt that the 2022-23 campaign will be one that Wilson wants to completely forget. For starters, he only had a year removed from heavy-duty knee surgery to rebuild a torn ACL in the postseason last year. Furthermore, this measure limited him to just 33 games this season to retool the Capitals. However, mainly playing in the top six, the Toronto native still manages to score 13 goals and 22 points. Spread over 82 matches, i.e. 32 goals and 55 points.
If he’s healthy, there’s no doubt that a player like Wilson will bring something new and unique to this Maple Leafs roster. Most importantly, his presence alone would make opponents think twice about trying to push the big boys. In recent years, he has blended in very well with the likes of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin at the Washington Summit. Seriously, imagine Tom Wilson flanking an Auston Matthews winger?
And for those trying to compare Wilson to say Zack Hyman and Michael Bunting, it’s not even close. In addition to what he can bring on the ice, Wilson has climbed to the top. In 2018, he played a huge role in the stories of Washington reaching their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Obviously, a move of this magnitude would come with many moving pieces. Health concerns aside, the cost of acquiring Wilson would also likely be significant. However, when he’s at the top of his game, there’s no one quite like him. Which is why, if it is made available, there will likely be a laundry list of teams interested in getting it.