Maple Leafs’ 3 Potential Trade Partners This Season – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

Although we’re not even in December yet, the NHL trade rumors are heating up. Every day there seems to be another group that has positioned itself as a group looking to add or blow it up and rebuild it. The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in an interesting spot this season; they have no room to add without removing someone from their list.

As a result, the Maple Leafs may be wise to look to teams that will be fully traded this offseason, willing to take on a contract. This has been happening for the past ten years; bad teams will take bad contracts with a sweetener to get more draft money. Unfortunately, the problem for the Maple Leafs is that they don’t have much money in the draft. So without any cap space, roster spot, or draft money, what will general manager (GM) Brad Treliving do?

There are a number of teams that could catch the attention of the Maple Leafs. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues have other players that could spark the interest of Treliving and company. Obviously, they won’t be able to pull off a trade with all five of these teams. So, let’s narrow that list down to three clubs that likely have players that will interest the Maple Leafs and, more importantly, make them better as a team.

Seattle Kraken

First up, the Seattle Kraken, a team that my colleague Peter Baracchini has been eyeing all season. The fit between some of their players and the needs of the Maple Leafs is there. The Krakens are an interesting team because when a trade happens near the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, they may be in a run locked in the playoffs. However, things could go south for them quickly, which could lead to them parting ways with some of their players to try and reorganize. They are a team that shouldn’t be bad on paper; unfortunately, sometimes, as Leafs Nation knows, being a good team on paper means nothing when it comes to playing on the ice. Which may be the reason why the Kraken feel they may need to drill this season to be able to shed contracts in order to fully restructure this offseason.

A few names from Seattle that could fit in well with the Maple Leafs are Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, and Will Borgen. With Treliving improving the defensive core so well this offseason, trading Borgen could push someone like Conor Timmins or Jani Hakanpaa off the roster. Unfortunately, that’s business. Teams want to win Stanley Cups, and you need to be on the ice for the best team you can, even if it hurts someone else’s feelings. As for the top three, both Tanev and Gourde will bring competition to the lineup.

Related: Maple Leaves Should Ask About Kraken’s Gourde, Tanev

However, it is possible that Tanev will enter the bottom six and play on the third line, which can provide deep points, but will probably give the team strength. It would also be great to see Brandon join his brother Chris Tanev who has signed with the team they both grew up enjoying. As for Gourde, he will offer the same thing as Tanev, but probably in the top six. He would fit in well on a line with William Nylander and John Tavares as a power forward type. This would also shift Bobby McMann to the third line, giving the Maple Leafs power forwards on all three lines.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Next up, the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team unfortunately has had to face extreme difficulties this season under new management Don Waddell is in charge. Waddell is a proven winner from his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, who will look to continue with his new team. As a result, he’ll likely want to make some moves to empower him and take on swing contracts to put his team in a better position for success after the rebuild ends. The Blue Jackets organization has nine players expiring on unrestricted free agent deals, which they may want to move, and teams like the Maple Leafs will be calling to see what the price is.

Justin Danforth, Sean Kuraly, and James van Riemsdyk are all possible options for the Maple Leafs to pursue. The top goal is likely to be Kuraly, as he is a center forward who would fit in well on the Maple Leafs’ third line. However, it’s worth noting that he does hold a modified no-trade clause (a 10-team no-trade list), which could include the Maple Leafs. Still, the fit with Toronto is there and would make a lot of sense. Both Danforth and van Riemsdyk are good depth options for almost any playoff opponent. It would be newsworthy for van Riemsdyk to rejoin the Maple Leafs, play in the middle six, and help them try to win the Stanley Cup. Danforth on the other hand could be a bottom-six option that could bring a style very similar to what Steven Lorentz is doing to the team right now.

Louis Blues

Finally, St. Louis Blues, Craig Berube’s former squad. The Maple Leafs’ new identity of being tough up front and playing smart defensively, fits most Blues teams right now. Given the status of the St. Louis right now, they’ve been restructured a bit while trying to stay as competitive as possible. It is unlikely that the Blues will want to sign older players who have time left on their deals. That would make things challenging for Treliving, but he could find a way to work by trading a player like Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf to the club for a lower fee and then turn around and do a deal with the Blues.

Related: Maple Leaves & Penguins Can Be Perfect Trading Partners

There are two players the Maple Leafs should be very interested in and would be a great fit in their system Oscar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko. It’s no secret that Toropchenko has been someone I’ve admired for a long time. He’s exactly what the Maple Leafs need on their roster: he’s physical, he can score, he kills penalties, and he’s a Berube-style player through and through. If Treliving can’t get him to the Blues, then Sundqvist could be a good backup option. He can offer a similar style of play to Toropchenko but will likely play lower down the lineup. St. Louis would be the top team in Toronto’s lineup; they have forwards that can make the Maple Leafs even better.