#4. Sam Bennett
The most obvious choice to join the Toronto Maple Leafs via trade is Bennett. He was born and raised in the Toronto area and has a lot to prove.
Drafted fourth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Bennett has unfortunately not transpiring into the player that many hoped he would. After scoring 91 points and registering 118 penalty minutes in his draft year, Bennett looked like a two-way forward who could bring sandpaper and goals to the NHL.
After a promising rookie season where he scored 18 goals and 36 points, he’s yet to get back to those numbers, which is troubling. Despite the terrible statistics, Bennett could turn his career around with some new scenery.
Although his regular season production has been bad, he’s still been able to perform at a high level in the playoffs, where the Leafs would need him most. He has 19 points in 30 career playoff games, which is 0.63 points per game (PPG), compared to his 0.34 PPG average in the regular season.
If the Leafs do end up acquiring Bennett this year, the team won’t care if he scores zero goals in the regular season, but instead will hope that he can replicate that playoff production when the games matter the most.