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Predicting the Trades The Toronto Maple Leafs Will Make

By James Tanner

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 31: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas (3) shoots from the point during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers on January 31, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 31: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas (3) shoots from the point during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers on January 31, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs roster is not set.

The NHL Trade Deadline is a week from this Monday, on February 25th.  The chances of a Toronto Maple Leafs trade are definite.

There is no way that the Toronto Maple Leafs fail to do everything possible to win this season.

And that means another trade is imminent

Jake Muzzin and Other Trades

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jake Muzzin a couple of weeks ago.  Adding a top-pairing star defenseman to the roster has worked wonders, as the Leafs have put the January doldrums behind them and won seven of their last ten games.  (This was written prior to Saturday’s game).

But they aren’t done.

With the onus on them to win this year (because they’ll never have a better chance due to the relatively dirt-cheap contracts that Matthews and Marner are currently on) the Leafs will add some more players ahead of the deadline.

Their wishlist includes: one or two right handed defenseman, a left winger that is superior to Marleau, Brown or Hyman (preferably a defensive specialist), possibly a 4th line centre with more pop than Gauthier, and maybe a back-up goalie just in case.

Much has been made about the Leafs not being interested in rentals, but I think you’ll see them soften to that approach as the deadline appears.  They prefer players with term, that is all.

Who Will They Get?

My prediction is as follows:

The Leafs will acquire Radko Gudas from the Flyers to play on the top line with Morgan Rielly. He’s a right handed and makes an economical $3.5.  The cost will be a second round pick and Jeremy Bracco.

The Leafs will Nathan Horton, trade two seconds, a third, Garett Sparks and Frederik Gauthier to the Coyotes in exchange for Darcy Kuemper and Brad Richardson and cap space.

The Leafs will send Ron Hainsey, Connor Brown and a prospect to the Ducks for Jacob Silfverberg, a pending UFA who is superb defensively.

This series of trades gives the Leafs an elite defensive left winger who can score a bit.  It gives them cap space, a better back-up goalie and a much, much better fourth line centre.

Additionally, it solves their defensive problems and their coaching problems with one fell swoop.  Obviously Babcock can’t be objective when it comes to Ron Hainsey and how bad he is, so this takes him off the team and replaces him with a superior player in Gudas.

Next. Trade Deadline Possibilities. dark

The Toronto Maple Leafs add a ton of grit to their lineup, protect themselves in case of an Andersen injury, and they add the missing piece up-front, which is their lack of an elite defensive forward.  (And not grit as people keep saying).

cap information from capfriendly.com

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