Top 5 Prospects the Toronto Maple Leafs Are Most Likely to Trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs alluded to the fact that they’re going to trade a top prospect at the NHL Trade Deadline, but which player could be leaving?

It feels like we’ve been talking about a Toronto Maple Leafs trade for years at this point, but this is relatively recent news. Whether it’s a top-six forward, a top-four/depth defenseman, or in a wild turn of events, a goaltender, the Leafs are going to make a move.

It’s essentially like Christmas morning for Leafs fans, and whoever the team gets, they should be excited with.

General manager Kyle Dubas is a very smart executive. He understands the balance of young and old, expensive and inexpensive, in addition to skill and grit. This team currently lacks depth scoring and could be tougher, so that’s exactly what the Leafs will be shopping for.

In order to acquire one these players, Toronto is going to have give up a top prospect. What that exactly means, nobody really knows at this point.

The definition a top prospect is intriguing. What Toronto values or what the opposition values is completely different than the general public. Although the market consistency puts Nick Robertson, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Rodion Amirov as the top prospects in the Leafs system, that may not be true to Toronto or the opposition.

Although, I personally think that Sandin and Robertson are off the table in trade talks, that doesn’t necessarily means it’s true.

As such, here are five prospects that the Leafs will most likely trade at the deadline:

No. 5: Mikko Kokkonen

You may or may not be familiar with Kokkonen, but other teams and scouts around the NHL definitely are.

Kokkonen shined at the World Junior Championships, winning a bronze medal with Team Finland. Not only was he apart of a medal winning team, but he was named as one of the team’s top three players in the tournament.

If you look at Kokkonen’s stats, you’re not going to see many goals and assists. However, that’s not the left-handed shooting defenseman’s style. Instead, he’s a very reliable player who is great at getting the puck up the ice.

He would be perfect in the Leafs system down the road, because Toronto is very ahead of their time with puck possession importance, but you’d have to think he’d draw a ton of interest in a trade.

Although the Leafs would prefer to keep him, he’s the type of steady defensive prospect that an opposing general manager would love to have in their system.

No. 4: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev

Der-Arguchintsev, or better known as SDA, is on his way to play for the Toronto Marlies.

Coincidence, I think not.

After completing a season in the KHL, he’ll get his well-deserved chance at playing in the AHL. SDA is one of the Leafs top prospects, but he fits a certain mold that Leafs fans have became familiar with.

He’s an undersized forward with a ton of skill.

At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, he scored 75 points in 55 games during his last season with the Peterborough Petes. He was paired up Nick Robertson every night, who’s currently on the Marlies, so it’ll be incredibly interesting if they find the same magic in the AHL, as they did in junior.

Like all of these prospects we’ve talked about, you never want to trade them, but if the team can get a player who can help them win now, it’s worth it.

SDA is still an experiment and could transition into an NHL player, but it’s not going to happen tomorrow. At 20-years-old, he still needs some work at the AHL level and needs to develop his game before making the leap.

As such, with a realistic timeline of the 2022-23 season as his first chance at an NHL job, he could be worth trading.

No. 3: Rodion Amirov

Why would the Leafs trade their 2020 first round pick to acquire a rental? Well, Toronto shouldn’t even have had a first round pick to begin with last year, so who knows how tied they actually are to Amirov.

By all accounts, Amirov will be an NHLer one day. When that day actually comes, nobody knows.

He’s an effective player because he’s a two-way forward who has a great defensive ability, but can also produce. He scored 13 points in 39 KHL games last year, which is respectable for a 19-year-old.

If you look back at the Kasperi Kapanen trade, it’s possible that the Toronto Maple Leafs could eventually turn him into a top-six forward. Kapanen was a third-line player with the Leafs and they were able to steal a first round pick for him, which turned into Amirov.

If the team is then able to flip Amirov and a draft pick and/or another prospect for a top-six player, that’s a great upgrade.

It’s quite possible that Amirov has a 15 year career and is a second-line centre for the rest of his life, but he’s not playing for the Leafs for at least three years. Within that timeframe, Toronto’s scouting department should be able to replace him through the draft or via trade and free agency, so he’d be a great piece to move.

No. 1: Timothy Liljegren

It’s kind of crazy how much Liljegren’s stock has fallen since his draft year. At one point, he was scheduled to be a top-five pick, before falling to Toronto at No. 17 due to injury.

At the time, it felt like the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed the biggest steal of the draft, and although that may be true, it hasn’t came to fruition yet.

Liljegren is only 21-years-old and although he turns 22 in April, the Leafs and any other team shouldn’t be worried about his age. Until he’s 25-years-old, he still has a ton of upside and a chance to be a regular NHL defenseman.

It took Justin Holl until he was 27-years-old to get a real shot in the league and ever since he was given that opportunity, he’s taken advantage of it.

Liljegren is clearly the most intriguing prospect and player that everyone expects the Leafs to move on from in a trade. Besides Nick Robertson and Rasmus Sandin, who seem untouchable, Liljegren is the Leafs next best prospect and is someone who could move the dial in a big trade.

In a perfect world, Toronto is able to move one of their other top prospects and they can let Liljegren and Sandin compete for an NHL job next year, but if they really want to get a deal done, Liljegren’s name will probably be involved.

A trade is happening any minute, so stay tuned because one of these prospects will most likely be involved when it happens.