Top 3 Left-Wingers Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade For
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.
No. 3: Nick Foligno
Foligno’s name is one that continues to come up in trade rumors with the Toronto Maple Leafs and it makes sense why.
His $5.5M cap-hit is a little expensive, but if they can make the money work, he’d be a perfect fit. Not only has he shown that he can score, but he brings a wealth of experience and leadership that is so important in the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have a great leadership group, but you can never have too many. Foligno has 51 playoff games of experience, but he’s yet to go too far in the playoffs. At 33-years-old, who knows how many chances he’ll have to go on a Stanley Cup run, so getting added to Toronto’s lineup would have to be a huge motivator for him.
Foligno plays with an edge and is the type of player you want to go to war with. As the current captain of a team coached by John Tortorella, work ethic isn’t an issue for him, so that asset would be a great fit in the top-six.
Paired with Tavares and Nylander, Foligno could act as the Zach Hyman type on that line. Foligno wouldn’t be relayed upon as much to score, but instead be someone who retrieve pucks and drives the line, helping Tavares and Nylander put the puck in the net.
No. 2: Tanner Pearson
The situation with the Vancouver Canucks is scary right now. Hockey takes a back seat to people’s health, but assuming that Vancouver will still be active at the deadline, acquiring Pearson could be something for the Leafs to consider.
The 28-year-old isn’t having the best campaign of his career, but nobody’s performing at a high level with the Canucks, so he can’t be completely blamed.
Pearson fits a mold that would be perfect on the second-line with the Leafs. He has good size, can score, but potentially most importantly, has shown that he can deliver in the playoffs. The Stanley Cup champion with the LA Kings had a great playoff run during the 2013-14 season, scoring four goals and contributing 12 points in 24 games.
You might not think those stats are amazing, but as a rookie that’s a great contribution.
Vancouver has been rumored to be working on an extension with Pearson, but if they can’t come to an agreement, he would be a great addition to the second-line in Toronto.
No. 1: Mike Hoffman
The St. Louis Blues are currently on the outside looking into, when it comes to a playoff spot, so if they continue to falter for the next week, Hoffman could be on the way out.
Hoffman isn’t a name that has came up in trade rumors yet, which is surprising.
The 31-year-old was recently healthy scratched, only makes $4M per season and is a pending UFA. Not only that, but he’s averaged between 20-35 goals for the past six seasons, so why wouldn’t the Leafs be interested?
The left-winger is a goal scoring machine. He has limited playoff action but as a member of the Ottawa Senators who reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17, he scored six goals and had 11 points in 19 games.
Toronto could use another top-six left-winger, who can contribute offensively. Obviously Pearson or Foligno, who we previously mentioned, would be a great addition to the Leafs, but Hoffman would contribute serious goal-scoring ability that those two can’t provide.
If the Blues can’t agree on an extension with Hoffman, then it would make sense to move him for an asset. Hoffman’s scoring ability is something that’s incredibly hard to find on the trade market, so if the Leafs want to go all-in this year, he’d be a much better option than someone like Taylor Hall, and you’d paid a much lesser price for him.
dark. Next. Top 3 Veterans Leafs Should Trade For
There have been some character issues with Hoffman in the past, but if Toronto thinks that their leadership group can fix that, they should definitely look to acquire him.