In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have one more move up their sleeve. Meanwhile, are the San Jose Sharks the most likely landing spot for a Carey Price trade? Finally, three trade proposals, including those involving the Pittsburgh Penguins, share a consistent theme. What is it?
Maple Leafs to Make at Least One More Move?
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t necessarily done reshaping their roster just yet. After trading Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade for Nicolas Roy and adding Mattias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, the Leafs are still exploring options to bolster their top-six forward group.
According to James Mirtle of The Athletic, Toronto is shopping the trade market, with Brandon Carlo emerging as a potential asset to move. He writes:
“The front office is still looking for that upgrade up front. I don’t expect Matias Maccelli, Roy and Dakota Joshua to be it for forward adds, especially considering at least two of them should be in the bottom six. And the biggest reasons Carlo could go the other way: Toronto doesn’t have a lot else to trade and a huge RD has a lot of value for other teams.”
source – ‘Maple Leafs mailbag: Stolarz’s next contract, solving Domi and the 2026 UFA class’ – James Mirtle – The Athletic – 09/02/2025
When Mirtle talks about Carlo being dangled in a possible trade, it’s under the context that Toronto’s blue line could see changes as well. With a group consisting of Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Carlo, Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Simon Benoit, management reportedly wants to add a puck-moving defenseman to improve transition play. Carlo is not that. He writes, “Part of the reason they got hemmed in against the Panthers in the playoffs was their inability to handle Florida’s forecheck, and that comes back to the Leafs’ struggles breaking out, moving the puck and maintaining pressure in the offensive zone.”
Sharks Most Likely Spot to Send Carey Price?
There is speculation that the Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks are exploring a trade involving Carey Price’s contract, a move that could help both teams address roster and cap concerns. Marco D’Amico of RG.org and Sheng Peng of SJHockey Now believe there’s something to this idea.
With the Sharks at 49 of their 50 contracts, they’d likely send two contracts to Montreal to create room, clearing space to sign top prospect Michael Misa. The Canadiens have the space to take those contracts on.
Moving Price, who carries a $10 million cap hit and $5.5 million signing bonus (which got paid out yesterday), would help Montreal become cap compliant while creating room to pursue a second-line center.
Early discussions suggest a framework where Price and a draft pick go to San Jose in exchange for prospects Artem Guryev and Gannon Laroque.
Penguins Weigh Veteran Trades in Proposed Trade Pitches
The Pittsburgh Penguins are emerging as one of the NHL’s most active potential sellers, with GM Kyle Dubas reportedly exploring multiple trade scenarios for veteran stars. Three mock trades by Josh Wegman of The Score discuss potential options.
The first trade suggested the Penguins move Erik Karlsson to the Carolina Hurricanes. The second was Bryan Rust being sent to the Detroit Red Wings. The third had Rickard Rakell going to the Vancouver Canucks.
For Pittsburgh, the strategy centers on stockpiling young assets and draft capital to jumpstart a rebuild while keeping franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang in place. In every deal, Wegman focuses on the Penguins getting a first-round pick in return, plus a valuable NHL player.
The proposed Carolina deal would bring in a first-round pick, forward prospect Felix Unger Sörum, and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere—a flippable asset. A trade with Detroit for Rust could yield another first-rounder plus prospects Jonatan Berggren and William Wallinder. Vancouver’s offer for Rakell includes young forward Nils Höglander and promising defenseman Dmitri Kudryavtsev.
It’s important to note these are just trade proposals. There is no news suggesting these trades have been discussed.
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