No. 3: Central Division
Trade Options: Travis Boyd (Arizona Coyotes), Ryan Dzingle (Arizona Coyotes), Anton Stralman (Arizona Coyotes), Erik Gustaffson (Chicago Blackhawks), Brett Connley (Chicago Blackhawks), Joe Pavelski (Dallas Stars), John Klingberg (Dallas Stars)
Let’s start with the worst team in the NHL that happened to beat the Leafs two weeks ago: Arizona Coyotes.
Travis Boyd played 20 games with the Leafs last year before getting claimed on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks. I don’t think Toronto wanted to lose him because during those 20 games, in my opinion, he played great. He was a solid fourth-line centre option, but because of the salary-cap, he was the odd-man out.
In 32 games this year, Boyd has scored 10 goals and has been a first-line centre in Arizona. With a league-minimum cap-hit, Boyd should be a huge target for the Leafs. Not only because he would be a good fit but because he’s familiar with the team.
Of the other trade options, the sexiest name or the bunch is John Klingberg.
He’s everything you want from a defenseman right now. He has a low cap-hit, can play top-four minutes and is a point-producer. He’s shown he can carry a defensive-core on a Stanley Cup Finals run as well, so that’s huge.
If the Leafs can pull off a Klingberg trade without giving up a lot of it’s current roster, they need to make it happen. Trading prospects and draft-picks should be a no-brainer when it comes to acquiring a player of Klingberg’s talent.