Some Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Targets
Jonas Siegel and James Mirtle of The Athletic: Again, there exists quite a list of targets that the Toronto Maple Leafs are after. Here are just a few.
Jeff Petry — The Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman comes at a heavy cost. This is especially true if he is dealt in the division. Tampa and especially Toronto would want Petry heavily but would Montreal even entertain such a deal? That is the question.
Josh Manson — Manson makes more sense than say Matt Dumba because of his acquisition cost. The Anaheim Ducks defenseman will not cost what Jake Muzzin did last season. Manson skates quickly for a 6-foot-3, 224-pound defenseman and adds more physical punch.
Adam Larsson/Jesse Puljujarvi — The duo presents an intriguing possibility of a draft trade as opposed to a trade deadline deal. A Kasperi Kapanen would head the other way. With both teams near a playoff berth, it feels like something which does not make sense now.
Other defensemen — After that, there are defensemen like Matt Dumba and PK Subban. Would Minnesota trade Dumba and could New Jersey retain enough salary? Then, Sami Vatanen enters the equation but he is a rental. Would Toronto go against its own rules? That’s a great question.
Could Leafs use the Patrick Kane loophole to create more space?
Frank Seravalli of TSN.ca: Kane’s extended injury paved the way for Chicago to acquire more space to obtain more talent. The feeling is Morgan Rielly may get held out for the balance of the regular season. That helps Toronto. The question is how will that play with the rest of the league.
With more space, Toronto could dip into the center market. However, other teams expect to do the same. After Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Kyle Turris, there are several possibilities.
Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow, Derek Grant, Patrick Marleau, and Nate Thompson are out there. The offense declines from left to right but so does the acquisition cost. This paves the way for several potential trades just not the blockbuster ones most expect.