Toronto Maple Leafs: Assessing Viable Landing Spots for Patrick Marleau

So What is Going to Happen?

There are a lot of moving pieces in a Patrick Marleau trade. Anaheim could still clear space with whatever’s happening with Corey Perry, Colorado could threaten an offer sheet, or an unknown team could swoop in and offer to buy Marleau out in a trade.

Kyle Dubas and co. will have their work cut out for them. Brandon Pridham was the mastermind behind the Clarkson-Horton swap and his knowledge of the CBA will be crucial to making a good trade for the Toronto Maple Leafs here.

Combine the complexity of this trade with the amount of work being done at the moment with the quickly approaching entry draft, the three significant RFAs, as well as unrestricted free agency, and the Toronto Maple Leafs staff have their work cut out for them in the coming two weeks.

If I had to bet on a destination, Los Angeles just seems like too good of a fit. Even if my proposed Kovalchuk swap is not what Toronto would be interested in, the Kings are a fit from every angle. They are rebuilding, they are as close to San Jose as you can get without being in San Jose, they have bad contracts and need young talent, and new hire Todd McLellan is very familiar with the player. They could use a player with the leadership of Patrick Marleau to help right the ship after a turmoil-filled 2019.

In summation, what we know for sure is this: Patrick Marleau and the Maple Leafs are set to part ways. How that actually occurs is a whole other complex ball game with many factors to consider, but the end result will be fascinating regardless of who the trading partner is.