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Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 5 Trade Assets for the 2022 Trade Deadline

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 13: Nick Robertson #89 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Flames defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 13: Nick Robertson #89 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Flames defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
VANCOUVER, BC – APRIL 18: Ilya Mikheyev #65 of the Toronto Maple Leafs   (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Ilya Mikheyev

Ilya Mikheyev was supposed to be a top-six option for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, but an injury in the preseason stopped that from happening and we’ve yet to see him play a game for the blue-and-white.

However, based on his recovery timeline, Mikheyev should be slotted back into the line-up soon and could turn into a trade asset. With Mikheyev out of the line-up, Michael Bunting and Alex Kerfoot have stepped in nicely within that top-six, so there may not be any room for him anymore.

Although Bunting and Kerfoot have been great, I think the Leafs would prefer to slide Kerfoot or Bunting into a third-line role, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Mikheyev should slide back into the top-six.

Instead, the team may be inclined to trade Mikheyev and some other assets for an established left-winger who can fit into the top-six beside the top-four forwards. Think a Nick Foligno type of player again, or someone of that quality, so with that being said, Mikheyev would be a good person to trade out, if you’re getting someone like that to come back in.

If it wasn’t for that injury at the beginning of the year, we could be looking at Mikheyev as an untradeable player base don that low cap-hit in the Leafs top-six, but unfortunately he’s been replaced and the team has looked awesome without him.

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