3 Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Can Realistically Trade For
The Toronto Maple Leafs are constantly scouring the trade market looking to improve their group. Today we will highlight three realistic trade targets for the Buds.
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have the best team they have ever assembled. This should be their year to break the curse and capture hockey’s biggest prize. To do so may mean that the squad needs a few tweaks, including bringing the right player into the fold.
With the NHL Trade deadline of March 21 looming, now is the perfect time to find the missing pieces to take the Maple Leafs to the next level. It’s important to be realistic about what that may actually look like.
Certainly, GM Kyle Dubas would love to complete many of the trades Leafs fans demand on social media, but he isn’t going to acquire another team’s prize player for a non-roster player. We were able to see him make a fine trade for the package of Nick Ritchie and a pick, but fans need to be practical about what sort of return to expect from future deals.
Dubas operates in the reality that every general manager in the NHL is trying to improve their club either short-term or long-term. While it’s fun to fantasize about bringing more elite talent to Toronto, we too will stick to what’s realistic.
Here are the possible trade targets:
Justin Braun and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Justin Braun is a right shooting defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers. With the club currently in 14th in the conference without much hope to qualify for the playoffs, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher is sure to be in sell mode. One of the players he will look to offload is Braun who is currently on an expiring contract.
The Leafs will be interested in Braun because he adds something they’re looking for, defense. At 35-years-old, he playing with a $1.8 million cap hit, a reasonable price that the Leafs shouldn’t have too much trouble being able to fit under their salary cap.
One of the considerations to every potential deal will be how much an acquisition is being paid. According to CapFriendly, The Leafs are up against the cap with just $522,043 available.
Braun’s possession metrics are far from impressive and he isn’t the splashy name that Leafs fans would hope to see but he is a player that makes sense for the team. Braun would help improve the bottom pairings and could be had without making a significant downgrade to the offense.
This season, Braun has four goals and nine assists in 49 games though his game is mostly defensive. Interim Flyers coach Mike Yeo has put Braun out on the ice 60.5 per cent of the time for a defensive zone start.
Braun is very similar to the player the Leafs just acquired, Ilya Lyubushkin – both have extremely high defensive metrics, and zero offense. This would be a very nice depth add.
Keith Yandle
Braun might not be a familiar name but that’s not the case for Keith Yandle. Just like Braun, Yandle is 35 and playing for the Flyers on an expiring contract.
The biggest challenge in acquiring the left shooting defenseman is that his contract has a no-trade stipulation to it. In order to be moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Yandle would need to waive that clause.
It’s not outrageous to think that that could happen. This is the American’s first season in Philadelphia so he doesn’t have a longstanding connection to the franchise. He may also look at the current Leafs team as his best chance at winning a Stanley Cup before retirement.
Yandle owns the NHL’s record for most consecutive games played, a mark he hit in January. It suggests that Toronto could count on Yandle being available for all their games in both the regular and post seasons.
In his 15th NHL season, Yandle has just a $900,000 cap hit. In 49 games, he has recorded a goal and 13 assists. At even strength, he has a Corsi Rating of 46.5, which is -1.8 relative to his team.
Though the stats don’t impress and the Leafs would certainly prefer a right defenseman, Yandle could be a fit in Toronto. He would play ahead of Travis Dermott, which still helps team’s blueline.
Brandon Hagel
The third realistic trade target is someone already linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brandon Hagel. According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Toronto has already engaged in conversations with the Chicago Blackhawks about the left-winger.
Hagel doesn’t fit an immediate need for the Leafs, which is mainly improving their defense core, but he gives the team a gritty winger who can score. Most importantly, he does it at a cap hit of $1.5 million and team control until the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. At that point, he will be become a restricted free agent.
Hagel is also just 23 years old, which suggests that he can still grow and improve his game. Seravelli called him, “this year’s version of a Blake Coleman or Barclay Goodrow” and added that it will cost a suitor a miniature fortune to acquire the forward. “Hagel’s contract and cost certainty is making teams drool. He is in first-round pick plus top prospect territory, which is understandable given the contract, his production and style of play.”
In order to make this addition, the Leafs will need to give up some significant assets, which they have. While it may make fans uncomfortable to give up a first-round pick in this coming year’s draft since it is such a loaded field, it is a strong move given the opportunity that Hagel provides.
This season, Hagel has 27 points in 45 games, registering 14 goals and 13 assists. While he may not be the player fans are hoping for, he could easily become one they fall in love with.
Next. The Top 5 Players the Leafs Should Trade For. dark
A lot can happen before the trade deadline, including injuries and creating holes that need filling on rosters. It will be interesting to see what the Leafs ultimately do.