Toronto Maple Leafs Depth Players, Picks and Top Prospects
Not Likely to Trade: Kyle Clifford, Joey Anderson, Alex Steeves, Brett Seney, Brendan Kressler, Ty Voit, Pontus Holmberg, Mikael Abramov, Nick Robertson, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Joe Miller, Dmitri Ovchinnikov, Rodion Amirov, Matthew Knies, Nicholas Abruzzese, Ryan Tverberg, Roni Hirvonen, Veeti Miettinen, Alex Biega, Carl Dahlstrom, Chad Krys, Mac Hollowell, William Villeneuve, Filip Kral, Topi Niemelä, Mikko Kokkonen, Michael Hutchinson, Erik Kallgren, Joseph Woll, Ian Scott, Artur Akhtiamov, Vyacheslav Peksa
Might Trade: Joseph Duszak, Brennan Menell, 2022 Draft Picks (1st, 2nd, 7th), 2023 DraftPicks (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th).
Willing to Trade: Denis Malgin, Teemu Kivihalme
There are no untouchables when it comes to Toronto Maple Leafs non-roster players, however, they value their prospects more than draft picks and may value their depth players more than what other teams would be willing to give up.
All of Toronto’s draft picks are on the table right now. I don’t think they’ll give up as many picks as they did around last year’s trade deadline because they have more depth players this season that can fill in for injuries during the playoffs.
I could see them trading Brennan Menell to a team willing to give him a chance like they have in the past with players like Alexander Barabanov or Mikko Lehtonen. Menell has only played nine games for the Marlies so far and really hasn’t worked out for the Toronto Maple Leafs despite last year’s amazing season in the KHL.
One Toronto Maple Leafs prospect I could really see moving ahead of the others is Joseph Duszak. He has value as a point-per-game defenseman in the AHL, but he hasn’t been given a chance with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He may have a better shot at making the NHL on another team as the Leafs have decided to call up Biega, Dahlstrom and Rubins over Duszak this season.
I think the only non-roster assets the Toronto Maple Leafs would really like to move are Denis Malgin and Teemu Kivihalme. There probably isn’t much interest in Kivihalme since he’s only played three games on the Toronto Marlies this season. His contract expires in July, and he’ll become a UFA.
Denis Malgin is having a great year in the Swiss National League and if a team can persuade him to return to the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs would likely trade his rights away for next to nothing. Malgin chose to play in Switzerland instead of Toronto by refusing the Leafs qualify offer as an RFA last summer. The Leafs hold his NHL rights for the next two years.
If an upgrade to their top four defensemen is what the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for, I could see them moving a Holl or Dermott, a mid-range prospect and a pick to get one depending on who they’re able to obtain.