The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to make a trade sooner than later and when they finally do, it’ll most likely be for a left-winger.
The NHL Trade Deadline is less than one week away and if you would have asked Toronto Maple Leafs fans three weeks ago, they probably would’ve thought that the team would’ve made multiple trades by now.
Trading with an American team has gotten much easier over the past few weeks, so that’s a benefit for the Leafs. Instead of having a player quarantine for 14 days, they only have to isolate for seven. As a result, players with no-trade clauses could be more inclined to waive them or the team would be more happy to trade assets for someone who’ll be in the lineup for more games than previously thought.
No matter what happens, the team has been very vocal about wanting to make a trade.
Whether it’s prospects, draft picks or current roster players going the other way, the organization has continued to stress that they want to upgrade this team and make a run for the Stanley Cup. With a limited window to win and a real opportunity to make it to the final-four at the minimum, the Toronto Maple Leafs have their best chance to win a playoff round or more in quite some time.
Toronto’s left-wing position isn’t terrible, but they could use an upgrade. The recent addition of Alex Galchenyuk has provided a spark for the second-line, but it’s unknown if it’s sustainable. Having played on six teams since 2018, it’s easy to think that his play will fall off a cliff and he’ll be in the press box before we know it.
Personally, I think Galchenyuk will be a top-12 forward come playoff time, but he’ll most likely fall down into the bottom-six, instead of the top-six. As a result, this team needs to upgrade their top-six and find another proven scorer to play alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.
Here are three potential left-wingers that the Toronto Maple Leafs should acquire.