Although we aren’t even in December yet, and the NHL trade rumour mill is heating up. Every day, it seems, there is another team that has put themselves out there as a team that is either looking to add or looking to blow it up and rebuild. The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in an interesting spot this season; they have barely any cap space to add without moving someone from their lineup.
Due to that, the Maple Leafs may be wise to look at teams that are going into a full-on fire sale this season, who will be more willing to take on a contract. This has been the case for the last decade; bad teams will take on bad contracts with a sweetener so they can get more draft capital. Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs issue is they barely have any draft capital. So without any cap space, roster space, or draft capital, what is general manager (GM) Brad Treliving going to do?
There are a handful of teams that may catch the Maple Leafs’ attention. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues are some that have players that may pique the interest of Treliving and company. Obviously, they will not be able to pull off trades with all five of these teams. So, let’s narrow that list down to three clubs that may have players that will be of interest to the Maple Leafs and, most importantly, will make them better as a group.
Seattle Kraken
First up, the Seattle Kraken, a team that my colleague Peter Baracchini has had his eye on for the entire season. The fit between some of their players and the Maple Leafs’ needs is there. The Kraken are an interesting team because by the time a trade happens near the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, they could have gone on a run and be essentially locked into a playoff spot. However, things could go south for them quickly, and that could result in them parting ways with some of their players to try and restructure. They are a team that shouldn’t be bad on paper; unfortunately, sometimes, as Leafs Nation knows, being a good team on paper doesn’t mean anything when it comes to on-ice play. Which could be the reason as to why the Kraken feel that they may need to punt this season to be able to shed contracts to fully restructure this offseason.
A few names from Seattle that would fit nicely on the Maple Leafs are Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, and Will Borgen. With Treliving upgrading the defence core so well this offseason, a trade for Borgen may shuffle someone like Conor Timmins or Jani Hakanpaa out of the lineup. Unfortunately, that is the business. Teams want to win Stanley Cups, and you need to ice the best possible team that you can, even if that hurts someone’s feelings. As for three forwards, both Tanev and Gourde would bring a competitive edge to the lineup.
Related: Maple Leafs Should Inquire About Kraken’s Gourde, Tanev
However, Tanev would likely slide into the bottom six and play on a third line, which could provide depth scoring, but more than likely, it would give the team energy. It would also be cool to see Brandon join his brother Chris Tanev who signed with the team that they both grew up cheering for. As for Gourde, he would provide the same thing as Tanev, but likely in the top six. He could fit well on a line with William Nylander and John Tavares as the power forward type. This would also shift Bobby McMann to the third line, giving the Maple Leafs a power forward on all three lines.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Next up, the Columbus Blue Jackets. A team that unfortunately has had to deal with some extreme hardships this season is under new management with Don Waddell at the helm. Waddell is a proven winner from his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, who will want to keep that going with his new club. As a result, he will likely want to make some moves to give him flexibility and take on moveable contracts to put his team in a better position for success after their rebuild is over. The Blue Jackets organization has nine players on expiring unrestricted free agent deals, who they may want to consider moving, and teams like the Maple Leafs will be calling to see what the asking price is.
Justin Danforth, Sean Kuraly, and James van Riemsdyk are all potential options for the Maple Leafs to pursue. The top target would likely be Kuraly, since he is a centerman who could fit nicely on the Maple Leafs’ third line. However, it is worth noting that he does carry a modified no-trade clause (10-team no-trade list), which could include the Maple Leafs. Regardless, the fit with Toronto is there and could make a lot of sense. Both Danforth and van Riemsdyk are great depth options for just about any playoff contender. It would be storybook for van Riemsdyk to rejoin the Maple Leafs, play in their middle six, and help them try and win a Stanley Cup. Danforth on the other would be a great bottom-six option who would bring a style very similar to Steven Lorentz does for the team currently.
St. Louis Blues
Lastly, the St. Louis Blues, Craig Berube’s former squad. The Maple Leafs’ new identity of being hard on the forecheck and playing smart defensively, fits for a lot of the Blues team right now. Given the state of St. Louis’ team right now, they are also in a small restructuring on the fly while also trying to stay as competitive as possible. It is unlikely that the Blues will want to take on older players with term left on their deals. Which could make things challenging for Treliving, but he can find a workaround by trading a player like Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf to a team for low-end draft capital and then turn around and work on a deal with the Blues.
Related: Maple Leafs & Penguins Could Be Perfect Trading Partners
There are two players that the Maple Leafs should be most interested in and that will fit their system the most are Oscar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko. It is no secret that Toropchenko has been someone I personally have been high on for some time. He is exactly what the Maple Leafs need in their lineup: he plays physically, he can score, he kills penalties, and he is a Berube-style player through and through. If Treliving can’t get him from the Blues, then Sundqvist would be a good backup option. He can offer the same style of play as Toropchenko does but will likely play further down the lineup. St. Louis would be the team at the top of Toronto’s priority list; they have forwards that can make the Maple Leafs much better.
