What will the Maple Leafs target?
Michael Traikos of the Toronto Sun: The NHL trade deadline is about five weeks away. Do the Toronto Maple Leafs look for more offense? Grit? Skill? Experience? Top-six forward? Left-handed defenseman?
The 14-day quarantine period needs to be taken into consideration if acquiring someone from an American team.
The Maple Leafs don’t need a winger like Buffalo Sabres Taylor Hall. They don’t need to acquire more skill or scoring, they need more blue-collar players like Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm or Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett.
With the quarantine in mind, teams may start to make moves this week.
Potential trade targets
Craig Custance and Eric Duhatschek: One executive predicts that Buffalo Sabres Jack Eichel will end up with the New York Rangers are some point, but not sure when it would be. Another source wonders about the Los Angeles Kings as they have Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte and many other options. Wouldn’t the Sabres rather have Eichel in the West and not in the same conference?
The Nashville Predators could look to maximize the trade value of Filip Forsberg and look to move him this year. He has one year left on his deal at a $6 million cap hit.
The Arizona Coyotes could look to recoup some draft picks and move forward Clayton Keller.
If the New Jersey Devils don’t re-sign forward Kyle Palmieri, he might be a good rental option for someone.
There are some that believe that the Detroit Red Wings could consider trading forwards Tyler Bertuzzi or Anthony Mantha if they get the right deal.
The Colorado Avalanche might make sense for Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier.
Dustin Brown may no longer be an unmovable contract.
Alex Goligoski has a modified no-trade clause and a $5.475 million salary cap hit. The Coyotes may try to get a draft asset or two for him. The Arizona Coyotes also have Niklas Hjalmarsson who would interest teams but he has full trade protection and a source has said he has little interest in waiving it right now.
One executive said that he thinks the Sabres would need to retain 50 percent of Taylor Hall’s contract and that they wouldn’t get a first-round pick for him. Hall has some trade protection and extension may be more likely than a trade.
