3 Realistic Hypothetical Toronto Maple Leafs Trades
No. 1: Connor Brown Returns to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Originally traded in a blockbuster deal that included Nikita Zaitsev, the Leafs may want to consider bringing back Brown, who’s been a great piece on the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators have been a terrible team in the three years that Brown has played there, but he’s been a bright spot. With one year left on his contract before he becomes a free agent, the Leafs may be inclined to trade for Brown, who could be a great fit and potential replacement for Ondrej Kase on the third-line.
The Ottawa Senators have all of the cap-space in the world and have been known to take on big contracts from the Leafs before, so this could be a great landing spot for Petr Mrazek.
Ottawa currently has a terrible contract in Matt Murray, who’s owed $6.25M for the next two years, so Toronto could take on his salary, but bury him in the minors because money isn’t a worry for them. The Senators bankroll isn’t as high as Toronto’s, so losing that salary may actually help Ottawa and do them a huge favor.
As such, with Toronto continuing its rebuild, here’s the trade could work:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Connor Brown (50% salary retained from Ottawa) and Matt Murray
- Ottawa Senators acquire: Petr Mrazek, 2023 3rd Round Pick and Joey Anderson
Toronto gets a solid pro at half his salary in Brown who can contribute on the third-line and can bury Murray’s contract in the minors. Meanwhile, the Senators get a No. 1A/1B goaltender, a prospect to replace Brown on the wing and a draft-pick.
Everybody wins.
No. 2: J.T Miller
J.T Miller is set to become a UFA after next year and the Vancouver Canucks still need to pay Brock Boeser, so they should probably trade Miller before they can’t afford him next year, right?
The Canucks missed the playoffs this year, but they’ll be in a good position to bounce back next year, as Thatcher Demko is one of the best goaltenders in the league. If he can play up to his standards, they’ll have a great chance to win every night, plus the young-star’s like Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson are solid players to build around.
However, the Canucks have a player in Miller who could really help the Leafs, and Toronto has a player who would probably love to play in Vancouver. So here’s the trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: J.T. Miller (25% salary retained by Vancouver)
- Vancouver Canucks acquire: Alex Kerfoot, Brett Seney and 2022 First Round Pick
Good-bye first-round pick and hello win-now mode. Who needs a 2022 draft pick when you can acquire a player who scored 32 goals and had 99 points last year?
The 6-foot-1, 220 pound forward brings size and skill and could add huge fire-power in the Leafs top-six. Meanwhile, Kerfoot was born in Vancouver and would definitely love the idea of playing in front of his hometown team every night.
Kerfoot is a much more affordable player to sign in 2023, so Vancouver can re-sign him and get a few assets, while Miller gets a run a Stanley Cup with the Leafs.
Let’s make a deal!
No. 3: Mackenzie Blackwood to Replace Jack Campbell?
Mackenzie Blackwood has all of the makings to be a really good goaltender, however he’s been stuck on an abysmal New Jersey Devils team for the past four years.
So, the question with Blackwood is: “Are his stats deflated because of the team he plays on, or is he just not a future number-one goaltender?”
But why will the Devils want to trade a 25-year-old goaltender, who was a former second-round draft pick, who’s 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and only makes $2.8M? Well, Larry Brooks of The New York Post is reporting that New Jersey is very interested in Jack Campbell, so they may be inclined to trade Blackwood to gain Campbell’s rights before he hits free agency.
That’s a very interesting case, because if you’re the Leafs, would you ride with Blackwood as your 1A or 1B goaltender? I mean, Campbell wasn’t much of a goaltender before he joined the Leafs and he worked out, so Blackwood could be entering his prime for all we know.
When NHL players were rumored to the 2020 Winter Olympics, Blackwood was in the conversation as a top-three goaltender for Team Canada, so there’s clearly some potential there, so Toronto could be acquiring Blackwood at it’s low right now.
Either way, here’s the trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Mackenzie Blackwood
- New Jersey Devils acquire: Jack Campbell (rights)
This trade could be a win-win, as the Devils could acquire their No. 1 goaltender, while Toronto could get a 1A/1B goaltender on a cheap contract who could totally outplay his salary-figure. The Leafs could run with Petr Mrazek and Campbell, or they could flip Mrazek and use that cap-space to find another goaltender available and go from there.
dark. Next. Matthews' Hart is Irrelevant Without Playoff Success
This trade is incredibly intriguing and I kind of love it, which means it 100 percent won’t happen.