Toronto Maple Leafs on the Verge of a Significant Forward Trade Per Top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman
Top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently dropped a bomb on his 32 Thoughts podcast when he stated that the Maple Leafs are linked to a centerman.
Clearly, the Toronto Maple Leafs are having an issue with depth at center.
From Max Domi to Steve Lorentz and even the rookie Fraser Minten, they've cycled through their options at this position, but none provide the impact the team desperately needs, though Minten showed promise Wednesday night.
General Manager Brad Treliving seems to be on it, with Toronto having been actively scouting teams the last couple of weeks.
According to Elliotte Friedman's latest '32 Thoughts', a trade for a centerman might be around the corner.
The Blackhawks and Predators have the advantage of more cap space/high picks to trade, and more of a willingness to do it at this time. But as the season continues and cap-strapped teams try to build space, competition will increase."
- Elliotte Friedman
This has led to many fans wondering, does Toronto even have any assets that they are willing to trade.
While the trade assets in Toronto aren't overwhelming, they do have some potential chips to play.
One that certainly jumps out is Nick Robertson.
With limited opportunities in the lineup and with players returning from injury, Robertson's role shrinks.
His lack of defensive contributions and his limited scoring output could make him expendable.
The Leafs can also move bloated contracts in Kampf or Jarnkrok.
Teams needing defensive depth in the bottom six would probably be interested in that, opening space for Toronto to pursue offensive upgrades.
More notably, the Leafs could trade a bunch of draft picks to get a difference-maker like Evgeni Malkin, but such moves would involve the addition of players such as Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, or even a prospect.
Toronto may be hesitant to dip into its farm system, but a high-impact addition like Malkin could involve the team being willing to offload some of their younger, non-NHL-ready guys.
Toronto is in a tough situation, with other teams boasting deeper pools of assets.
That said, the Leafs still have enough intriguing pieces to get the deal done.
Maybe it's not a blockbuster, but even a modest center-ice upgrade could become critical to a deep playoff run.
This isn't about headline wins; it's about securing the Ws that matter most.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 22 | 18 | 4 | - | 36 | |
Devils | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 31 | |
Wild | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 30 | |
Golden Knights | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 30 | |
Capitals | 21 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 29 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 20 | 13 | 7 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||