J.T Miller and 4 Other Forwards the Toronto Maple Leafs Could Trade For
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to talk trade with the NHL Trade Deadline now less than four weeks away. They recently acquired defenseman, Ilya Lyubushkin, from the Arizona Coyotes, but they may not be done trading yet.
While the Toronto Maple Leafs may still be in the market for another defenseman, they may also be on the look out for another forward to help put them over the edge.
With Stanley Cup asperations, the Leafs will be looking to bolster their line-up any way they can to better their odds of a deep play-off run. They’re going all in.
It’s great to add depth, but if the Toronto Maple Leafs can make one blockbuster deal to bring in another top scorer that can help out their core four forwards, they could be unstoppable.
Top 5 Forward Trade Targets to Put Toronto Maple Leafs Over the Edge
I’m not just throwing up a list of the top 5 forwards in the NHL here. These are all guys that have swirling around the trade rumours recently.
These players are all on teams sitting on the outside of the play-off picture and will most likely be sellers at the deadline.
I’ve ranked these players in terms of how effective they would be on the Toronto Maple Leafs in my person opinion.
Here are my top 5 forward trade targets to put the Leafs over the edge:
Phil Kessel Back with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Team: Arizona Coyotes
Position: Right Wing
Age: 34
Games: 50
Goals: 6
Points: 33
Cap Hit: $6.8 million (UFA next season)
Contract: 8 team trade list
Imagine having Phil “the Thrill” Kessel back in Toronto for the play-offs? It’s one of those things where if it goes well, he’s cement himself as a Leafs legend, but if it doesn’t end well, the old hot dog jokes will be dusted off and sound like new again for years to come.
Goals have been hard to come by for Phil Kessel this season. Six goals in fifty games is on pace for a career low. However, this season’s Arizona Coyotes are the worst team Kessel’s ever played for by a mile.
Phil Kessel’s offensive stats this season are pretty comparable to Alex Kerfoot, who has one more goal for one more point than Kessel. Kerfoot has spent the season with two great players in John Tavares and William Nylander where as Kessel has played with… the Arizona Coyotes.
Kessel would surely morph back into sniper form returning to a top 6 roll with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He has exclusively played right wing for virtually his entire NHL career which might be an issue since Toronto is pretty loaded on the right side. I could see Nylander moving to left wing as he has some experience on the left side, but Nylander has had more success on right wing.
Kessel now has a couple Stanley Cup rings and 96 games of play-off experience which could also be helpful. He’s probably the most expensive player that will leave Arizona by the trade deadline and thus the most likely to need salary retention.
The Leafs and Coyotes have already made excellent trade partners this season. Why not hook up for another one?
Kessel does have a trade list of eight teams in his contract. He seemed to love Toronto though and brought the Stanley Cup there during his day with the Cup, so there’s a good chance that Toronto is on his list..
Andrew Copp
Team: Winnipeg Jets
Position: Centre/Left Wing
Age: 27
Games: 47
Goals: 12
Points: 28
Cap Hit: $3.64 million (UFA next season)
Andrew Copp is an excellent two-way forward playing with the Winnipeg Jets.
He has experience as a centre, but though centre depth is always a good thing, I see him more as a left winger playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Copp would probably find himself on Toronto’s third line but could play on the second line if needed. He scores a decent amount of goals and can put up some points. He’s also Winnipeg’s top penalty killing forward.
He’s a gritty player full of heart, I think he’d be a welcomed addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs. At $3.64 million, he’s the cheapest contract on this list.
I placed him ahead of Phil Kessel on this list, because Andrew Copp plays left wing, his contract is more manageable, and he has a lot more to his game defensively.
Tomas Hertl
Team: San Jose Sharks
Position: Centre/Right Wing
Age: 28
Games: 50
Goals: 22
Points: 40
Cap Hit: $5.625 million (UFA next season)
Contract: 3 team trade list
Tomas Hertl leads this list in goal scoring and is a fine playmaker as well. He doesn’t play much at left wing though, so it might be difficult to find a top six fit for him in Toronto’s lineup unless Nylander switches sides.
Again, you can never have enough centre depth, though I would’ve had Hertl a little higher on this list if he had more experience on the left side.
Hertl has some decent skill defensively as well and kills penalties regularly for the Sharks. 62 games of NHL playoff experience including two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals isn’t too bad either.
The Leafs biggest hurdle in acquiring Hertl might be his very limiting three team trade list. There is a chance that Toronto could be one of his three selected teams, but the odds aren’t very likely.
Claude Giroux
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Position: Centre/Left Wing
Age: 34
Games: 47
Goals: 16
Points: 38
Cap Hit: $8.275 million (UFA next season)
Contract: No Movement Clause
Claude Giroux’s style would fit nicely with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s obviously a great offensive threat as both a playmaker and a goal scorer, but he’s also defensively reliable. He’s great at caring the puck and getting pucks to the net.
Giroux would fit nicely as a top six left winger for the Leafs and could easily fill in if the Leafs lose a top centre again in the playoffs.
With a $8.275 cap hit, Giroux is the most expensive player on this list. I wouldn’t count the Toronto Maple Leafs out of the running due to his cap hit though as it’s very likely that Philadelphia will retain salary no matter where Giroux goes if he goes at all.
The biggest issue might be Claude Giroux’s no movement clause. He has total control on whether he stays or goes and where he goes if he goes. He might want to chase a cup. He might be comfortable in Philadelphia.
There is a chance he’d want to join the Toronto Maple Leafs. Giroux is an Ontario boy as he grew up in Hearst, Ontario, however growing up his family were fans of the Montreal Canadiens.
After 15 NHL seasons all with the Philadelphia Flyers, it would be weird to see Claude Giroux wearing another team’s jersey. They might decide to keep their longtime star, but at 34 years old and still holding value, the time to trade Giroux is now. It’s time for a rebuild in Philadelphia.
J.T. Miller to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Team: Vancouver Canucks
Position: Centre/Left Wing
Age: 28
Games: 50
Goals: 18
Points: 53
Cap Hit: $5.25 million until 2023 (all cap info capfriendly.com).
For anyone still missing Zach Hyman, J.T. Miller brings everything to the game Hyman does and more. He would be the best fit of any available forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He’s a versatile player that can play any forward position. He’s fast and gritty. Wins board battles and digs in the corners.
His 114 hits this season are more than twice as many as any Leafs forward who isn’t Wayne Simmonds. Miller is also Vancouver’s top penalty killing forward.
Most importantly though, J.T. Miller is the only player on this list scoring at a point-per-game rate. He’s the ultimate two-way power forward the Toronto Maple Leafs need.
J.T. Miller is also the only player on this list that has a year left on his contract, so the Toronto Maple Leafs can keep him around next year if they move a contract or two.
Next. Defensemen with Term Leafs Could Get in Trade. dark
March 21st is the NHL Trade Deadline and analysists are predicting that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be one of the most active teams. I can’t wait to see what moves they make.