No. 4: Pacific Division
Trade Options: Mark Giorando (Seattle Kraken), Jared McCann (Seattle Kraken), Marcus Johansson (Seattle Kraken), Riley Sheean (Seattle Kraken), Josh Mason (Anaheim Ducks), Richard Rakell (Anaheim Ducks), Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks), Luke Schenn (Vancouver Canucks), Alex Chiasson (Vancouver Canucks)
When you start looking at the teams in the Western Conference, the trade options become more intriguing, as team’s hate trading within their division or conference. As a result, the Pacific Division offers a lot of trade options for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Although I think Mark Giorando would be a great addition for Toronto, he makes too much money. In terms of realistic options on Seattle, Marcus Johansson should be the player that the Leafs look at.
Johansson is such a professional. No matter what team or role he’s in, he seems to contribute and be a player that you want. He has 97 NHL playoff games of experience, has scored 20 goals and can play up-and-down in the line-up (stats: hockeybd.com).
He has the skills to play in the top-six but also has an edge and physical side that allows him to play in the bottom-six.
For Toronto Maple Leafs fans unfamiliar with him, he’s kind of like Michael Bunting, except with more experience and is a little better. With a $1.5M cap-hit, and as a pending UFA, the Leafs should target Johansson.
Of the rest of the trade options, Josh Manson and Richard Rakell would be dream options who would fill top-six left-wing and top-four defensive issues. Their cap-hit’s are a little higher, but if there was a way Kyle Dubas could pull off a trade for either player, it would make the Leafs even bigger Stanley Cup favorites.