Toronto Maple Leafs fans are holding their breath all week with anticipation of a big trade.
This upcoming week continues to be the window for the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a big move and fans cannot wait to see who they get. In a salary cap world, you can’t always get the player you want, but there are still some great names available for the Leafs to grab.
Big trades are rare in the middle of an NHL season. Typically, there are few big names that get moved around the NHL Trade Deadline, but the major moves usually happen in the summer.
However, Leafs fans are still holding out hope that the team is going to acquire another superstar talent to join the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander.
With the core-four set in stone and the top defensive pairings most likely staying put, this team can only add so much. A top-six forward is very ideal and so is a mid-tier defenseman, who can take some minutes away from Travis Dermott or Zach Bogosian.
Although both defensemen have played well this season, any extra depth is important, especially in the playoffs.
The Leafs rely on the top-four forwards for most of the offense, but recently the third-line of Pierre Engvall, Zach Hyman and Ilya Mikheyev has been rolling. The M-E-H line, as they like to call it, has been a huge bright spot, but how long can that really last?
Hyman is better suited playing in a top-six role with Auston Matthews, while Engvall has had multiple scoreless droughts. Mikheyev can’t seem to score a goal to save his life, despite getting numerous chances every night. So although this line is working, it doesn’t feel like the Leafs are content with it as their third-line heading into the playoffs.
Since this team is certain that they’ll make the playoffs, they have the luxury of going all-in and trading prospects and picks for an impact player. As a result, here are three realistic trade packages that the Leafs could make soon.