3 Big-Name Players Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade For
The Toronto Maple Leafs should go big-name hunting at the NHL Trade Deadline this year.
As it currently stands, the Toronto Maple Leafs are fourth in the NHL in points percentage. Despite the success, it feels like many people aren’t convinced.
There are issues on the blue-line and it’s showed over the past 10 games.
When Jake Muzzin is out, the back-end looks incredibly different, but even when they’re fully-healthy, it’s not a defense-core many are incredibly confident in.
Jack Campbell is an NHL All-Star and a clear-cut number-one goaltender, but the team can’t rely on him every night in the playoffs. They’ll need to defend better as a group to guarantee victories in the biggest moments.
The same thing applies to the team’s best players.
Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander will need to do the heavy-lifting in the biggest games to get this team over the hump. If they go cold in the playoffs, the Leafs can kiss another playoff series goodbye, as they disappoint their millions of fans worldwide once again.
Toronto needs one more forward and/or one (or two) more defenseman to solidify their roster.
The window to win a championship gets smaller with every passing day, so Toronto needs to be all-in to give themselves the best chance at winning.
Here are four big-name players the Toronto Maple Leafs should trade for at the NHL Trade Deadline.
No. 1: John Klingberg
This is the perfect player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Klingberg is a big (6-foot-3), right-handed defenseman who is a pending free agent. He fits every necessary box that Toronto needs to fill right now.
Klingberg was instrumental in helping the Dallas Stars’ reach the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago. With 21 points in 26 playoff games, Klingberg not only was a point-producer, but he ate up a ton of minutes on the blue-line.
As of right now, Justin Holl is Toronto’s second-pairing right-handed defenseman. Hmm, would you rather slot Klingberg in that spot or Holl every night beside Jake Muzzin?
That’s not even a debate and at $4.25M, the Leafs may be able to afford his services.
Clearly, there will be a ton of teams interested in Klingberg’s services, but Toronto needs to give them an offer they can’t refuse. Whether it’s a first-round pick, prospect and roster player, the Leafs need to do anything they can to get Klingberg.
No. 2: Tomas Hertl
The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Hertl” would be an awesome addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs top-six.
His contract ($5.625M) is a little expensive but he would be a wonderful addition to the line-up. Essentially, Hertl would play the role of Kerfoot (who would have to get traded in return), but would be an upgrade over him.
With 22 goals in 46 games, Hertl is on-pace for one of his best offensive seasons.
Toronto wouldn’t be able to afford him next season, but as a pending free agent, he could be a great addition for the playoff run this year. Hertl is not only having a great regular season, but he’s known to perform in the playoffs.
In 62 career playoff games, Hertl has 24 goals and 42 points.
Paired beside John Tavares and William Nylander, that trio could do a ton of damage in the playoffs. Hertl is a pipe-dream player for Toronto to trade for, but if they could ever pull it off, he could be tremendous asset down the stretch.
No. 3: Tyler Toffoli
Montreal and Toronto rarely make trades, but Montreal is such a tire-fire right now, that they may consider it.
After making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Canadiens have been the worst team in the NHL. As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan it’s awesome to see, but it feels like the team sold their soul to the devil to make it to the Finals last year.
They have a ton of question-marks for next season and with new management, it feels like the team is about to start a rebuild. As a result, any asset they currently have should be traded to help speed up the rebuilding process.
One of those players who could be traded is Tyler Toffoli.
Toffoli is a (SCARBOROUGH!!!!!), ON native in his second of a four-year $4.25M AAV contract. He’s underperformed this year, but has four career 20-plus goal seasons and would be a good fit for the future in Toronto.
He’s traditionally a right-winger, but last season Toffoli scored 28 goals in 56 games playing a lot on the left-wing. If he could do that on his off-wing, paired beside Jesperi Kotkaniemi, imagine what he could do with either a combination of Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner or John Tavares/William Nylander?
Next. 5 Ways to Improve All-Star Game. dark
With two years at $4.25M, Toffoli’s contract is a manageable asset for the Leafs to afford, so he’d be a player that could really fit in Toronto.