Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Blockbuster William Nylander Trades

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to shake up the core-four, William Nylander should be traded.

Over the past seven seasons, William Nylander’s point-totals for the Toronto Maple Leafs have actually been very impressive.

The 8th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has lived up to all expectations and is a clear top-six player on any roster. Top 10 draft-pick’s are never guaranteed to turn into legit NHL stars, so the Leafs hit the jackpot by drafting him at that position.

Nylander’s skill has never been questioned, but instead, people have been concerned about his effort. Everyone loves scoring goals, but do you have what it takes in the biggest moment of a playoff game to go into the corners, steal the puck away from an opponent and help your team to victory?

Personally, I don’t think he does.

There are some incredibly skilled players who just don’t care in the playoffs. Alexei Kovalev was that player for decades and although he did win a Stanley Cup championship, it happened early in his career on a team that wasn’t his team to lead.

Everyone in the league knew how skilled Kovalev was and that’s why his career lasted so long, but he was never a player who would fight and claw to win in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Nylander is at that same pedigree as Kovalev and it’s time to trade him before he costs this team once again in the playoffs. However, if you’re going to trade a player who scored 34 goals and had 80 points this year, you better get something big in return for him.

As such, here are three blockbuster trades involving Nylander.

TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 6: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins skate (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Brad Marchand ($6.125M)

After haunting the Toronto Maple Leafs for years, wouldn’t it be great to finally have a happy moment with the Boston Bruins?

The Bruins are in a weird spot right now. They have a few aging leaders, with a ton of youth sprinkled in the line-up, but they’re not quite a Stanley Cup contender. Instead of keeping the old guy’s around and not getting anything in return for them when their contracts expire, they may want to trade that aging skill and acquire something younger to build towards a Stanley Cup in the next three-to-five years.

Nobody is hated more than Brad Marchand, but nobody would be more loved in this city than him.

The 34-year-old isn’t getting younger, but he definitely has a few good year’s left in the tank, and most importantly, he shows up in the biggest moments. Marchand has always been a big playoff-performer, as shown by his 11 points in seven playoff games this year.

If you’re the Leafs, Marchand is the perfect player to inject into this line-up and he could seriously be the difference between winning a Stanley Cup.

Convincing the Bruins to get rid of one of their fanbase’s favorite players may be tough, but the money works out perfectly and it could be a great boost for both teams for the future.

TORONTO, ON – MARCH 13: Mark Scheifele #55 of the Winnipeg Jets . (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Mark Scheifele ($6.125M)

If the Toronto Maple Leafs think that John Tavares can’t play centre anymore, then this is the perfect trade to help solve that.

By trading Nylander for Scheifele, you could move Tavares to the wing and slide Scheifele to centre, making that second-line even stronger.

There’s clearly tension with the Winnipeg Jets right now and it’s possible that Scheifele may want a change of scenery. The Kitchener, ON native has a No-Trade-Clause, but he’d more than likely waive that to have a chance to play near his hometown.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Scheifele could really change the dynamic of the second-line. He’s always been a tough competitor and someone who will fight and claw to win, and that desire is exactly what’s missing.

If Scheifele requests a trade from Winnipeg, there aren’t too many other players in the league that can match his skill and salary-cap number that a team would be willing to trade. Similar to the Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois trade a few years ago, this could be a one-for-one trade that fits a need for both clubs.

ST. LOUIS, MO – FEBRUARY 19: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues controls the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Enterprise Center on February 19, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5M)

When you look at the stats, Tarasenko and Nylander are pretty similar players.

Both players are 30-goal scorers, however Tarasenko plays the game way tougher and bigger than Nylander.

Tarasenko is 6-foot-1, 230 pounds (30 pounds heavier) and plays like it. In playoff moments, he’s actually not afraid to hit someone or fight someone for that matter, which is a huge aspect of the game.

St. Louis may not want to trade Tarasenko, but with one year left on his contract, they may be willing to part ways to acquire a younger player with more term on a cheaper contract.

Toronto realistically has two years left in their window to win a Stanley Cup.

Although he only has one year left on his contract, Tarasenko could be the only thing that Toronto is missing, as his size and skillset could help the Leafs get over the edge. If Tarasenko was on this roster instead of Nylander this season, I truly think Toronto would have won the series against Tampa because his willingness to desire to win is that much greater than Nylander’s.

Either way, trading Nylander is a must for this organization right now because they need to bring in a player who plays a tougher game while always displaying a high-amount of skill.

Next. 4 Players Who Will Be Traded. dark

As a result, any three of these players would make the Toronto Maple Leafs a better team for the 2022-23 season.

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