5 North Division Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade For

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 4: Jordie Benn #8 of the Vancouver Canucks and Wayne Simmonds #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs get set to trade punches during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 7-3.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 22: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

No. 3: David Rittich, Calgary Flames

If the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves worried about their goaltending situation, they could make a call to the Flames to acquire “Big Save Dave.”

Calgary has their No. 1 goaltender set with Jacob Markstrom, so while Rittich is a pending UFA, the Flames could be inclined to move on from him for an asset, especially if the Flames continue to fall out of the playoff picture.

The 28-year-old has started 128 NHL games and has shown that he can be a reliable goalie. He’s best suited as a back-up or in a 1A/1B role, but would be an upgrade over Michael Hutchinson.

Trading for a goaltender mid-season is incredibly hard to do, so Rittich could be the Leafs best option, especially if the quarantine rules still apply at the NHL Trade Deadline.

Rittich’s $2.75M cap-hit also seems like a do-able number for the Leafs to take on. Obviously, everyone hopes that Toronto can rely on their current No. 1 and No. 2 goaltenders to hold down the fort throughout the playoffs, but if things go sideways, Rittich could be a good insurance piece for the Leafs.

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