Will the Toronto Maple Leafs Make a Trade at the NHL Draft?

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t make a single trade during last year’s NHL Draft.  At the 2020 draft, they made three trades but only exchanged picks.

The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs moved a roster player at the NHL Entry Draft was in 2019, and the nature of that trade makes me believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs may make a similar trade at this year’s draft.

Besides the days leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline, the NHL Entry Draft is the biggest trade day in hockey.  Last year’s draft had a total of 25 trades.

Since Kyle Dubas became the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs in May 2018, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made seven trades over four NHL Entry Drafts and only one roster player has been moved.

That player was Patrick Marleau.  In the trade, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Marleau along with a 1st round draft pick (Seth Jarvis) and a 7th round draft pick (Alexander Pashin) for a 6th round draft pick (Axel Rindell).

The trade was made by the Leafs to free up $6.25 million in cap space to help the team re-sign Mitch Marner. (Some info from CapFriendly)

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs Make a Trade at the NHL Draft?

The Toronto Maple Leafs may make several trades during the 2022 NHL Entry Draft to move up or down in the draft or trade next year’s picks for this year’s picks and vice versa.

If the Leafs are going to make a trade involving a roster player though, it will most likely be a move to alleviate a cap hit and elevate their cap space.

The most likely player for the Toronto Maple Leafs to move on draft day is Petr Mrazek.  The Leafs have been trying to move him for a while, and they could use his $3.8 million salary to help procure some players on the free agent market.

It may be the Toronto Maple Leafs last opportunity to move Mrazek before they consider a buyout as the NHL’s first buyout period ends on July 12th.

The next most likely move for the Toronto Maple Leafs would be to move Jake Muzzin.  He has been involved in a lot of rumours lately because of his recent injury history involving back-to-back concussions last season, and the log jam on the left side of the Leafs defense ahead of Rasmus Sandin.

I don’t think the Leafs will make a trade with a big name player coming to Toronto until they have tested the free agent goalie market unless the trade involves Mrazek and/or Muzzin leaving and a quality goaltender coming back.