4 Mystery Forwards the Toronto Maple Leafs Could Be Targeting

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be on top of the North Division right now but it doesn’t feel like they’re going to be complacent.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has mentioned a few times now that the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to improve their roster. In fact, he was quote on Tim and Sid saying the following:

“I think Toronto is going to add. I think there’s a winger they’re interested in. I wrote his name down on a piece of paper.”

Hmm, I wonder what name he has on that piece of paper. Obviously, it’s not going to be a forward who’s making much money because the Leafs can’t afford that, but it’s probably a name that many fan’s are familiar with.

This season is unlike any other and when it comes to trades, it’s even weirder. The American team’s have a much bigger advantage in terms of improvement because they can acquire anyone without a 14-day quarantine. The Toronto Maple Leafs only have six team’s to work with where they can get a player into the lineup immediately.

As a result, this may impact the Leafs ability or want to trade with an American team and instead, Toronto may be more inclined to stick with a Canadian partner.

Forcing a player into quarantine in order to join your roster is a big decision and somewhat risky. Therefore, I truly think that the name on that piece of paper that Elliotte Freidman is holding is someone on a Canadian team.

Let’s take a look at four players north of the boarder who could be that mystery forward.

#3. Josh Leivo

If Toronto is looking to add a player who’s making minimal money that won’t cost much in return, Leivo is their man. After being a healthy scratch more often than not during his tenure with the Leafs, Kyle Dubas gave Leivo an opportunity to play every night when he traded him to the Vancouver Canucks in 2018.

After drafting Leivo with the 86th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he spent roughly seven years in the organization before moving on. Although he rarely cracked the lineup during his previous stint with the Leafs, he could be worth bringing back.

Leivo only makes $875K and is a UFA next season so taking a flyer on him isn’t much of a commitment. Although he’s currently playing on the fourth-line in Calgary, he could benefit from a reunion with Head Coach Sheldon Keefe.

Under Keefe, Leivo had his best AHL season scoring 48 points in 51 games. At 27-years-old, he’s running out of chances so coming back to a team where he’s familiar could help secure him another NHL contract.

#2. Jake Virtanen

Similar to the Sam Bennett situation, Virtanen was a high draft-pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Not only did they come up together but they currently make the same amount of money ($2.55M). The only difference is that Virtanen has an extra year on his deal, whereas Bennett is a pending RFA.

Virtanen has had a tough start to the 2020-21 season. He’s been healthy-scratched four times already, despite scoring a career-high 18 goals last year. He has the ability to put the puck in the net, but hasn’t been doing it at a consistent level, so the Canucks are getting tiresome.

Here’s what general manager Jim Benning said about Virtanen, courtesy of Sportsnet.ca.

“With him, it’s that consistency you’re looking for shift in and shift out…I think Jake’s come a long way these last couple of years. We’ve seen glimpses of what he can be. “It can be frustrating. But I’ve just seen too many examples where if you’re not patient with those guys and move them on, he ends up being that power forward that scores 25 goals for somebody else. We’ve put a lot of time in his development and we’re hoping he can continue to mature and get better and be that player for us.”

Benning obviously understands how great Virtanen can be, but also understands that it may be worth moving on from him, if he’s not going to do it every night in Vancouver. If the Leafs were to acquire a player like Virtanen it wouldn’t cost them a king’s ransom and he would be able to jump into their top-six.

He has the speed and offensive capabilities to do great things and that could be unlocked on the wing of either Auston Matthews or John Tavares.

#1. Tanner Pearson

$3.75M seems a little rich for the Toronto Maple Leafs salary-cap constraints, but by the NHL Trade Deadline, they may be able to make the money work.

The 6-foot-1 left-winger could fit nicely into the Leafs top-six, especially on a line with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. Pearson has shown scoring flashes in the past and has done so beside one of the best centre’s in the NHL. Paired on Anze Kopitar’s wing, Pearson scored a career-high 24 goals in the 2016-17 season.

The former Barrie Colt was also a key contributor in his rookie campaign, scoring 12 points on route to a Kings Stanley Cup victory. Although Pearson’s name hasn’t been rumored like his Vancouver Canucks teammate Virtanen’s has, they may be willing to move on.

Vancouver has some cap-space cleared out for the 2021-22 season, but Pearson isn’t their top priority. The team still needs to re-up Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, who are going to be backing up the Brinks Truck to Benning’s office.

With their playoff life in question, the Canucks may be willing to move on from Pearson, if they don’t think they’ll resign him anyway. As a result, the Leafs have a few prospects and a number of draft-picks they could trade to acquire Pearson for the stretch-run.

Pearson’s another local kid (born in Kitchener, ON), so I’m sure he’d be excited to join the Leafs if the opportunity came knocking and could be a difference-maker in the playoffs.