3 Toronto Maple Leafs Who Could Be Getting Traded This Week

3 of 4

The Toronto Maple Leafs are right up against the salary cap which means someone is getting traded.

Have the Toronto Maple Leafs improved or gotten worse through free agency? Unfortunately we can’t fully answer that question until the team is under the salary-cap and we know what the full roster will look like on opening night.

In non-surprising fashion, the Leafs have decided to run it back with the same core.

Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner aren’t going anywhere, despite the fact that many fans were screaming for a big-trade after the team lost again in the First Round.

How many times can you continue to run the same core back and lose? You’d think by now that someone like Tavares or Nylander would be traded, but then again, would you really win a trade if you shipped them away?

Probably not.

However, it’s no secret that a trade is looming. After signing Calle Jarnkrok and Pierre Engvall, Toronto is officially over the cap and they need to do something. They still have to sign Rasmus Sandin and they still need to improve their top-six, so in order to do that, they’ll have to trade one of the following players.

Here are three players that will be getting traded.

TORONTO, ON – MARCH 31: Justin Holl #3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs The Maple Leafs defeated the Jets 7-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Justin Holl

The most obvious and easiest person to trade on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is Justin Holl.

He only makes $2M, is a pending UFA, and also happens to be 6-foot-4 right-handed defenseman.

Despite some of the defensive struggles and inability to produce on offense, he’s been a mainstay in the top four of a top team for a couple seasons now and does have value. Especially considering the relative dearth of right-shooting defenseman.

After the Leafs signed Jordie Benn to a contract worth $750K, it essentially pushes Holl out the door because the team can now save $1.25M and Benn can be just as good, if not better, than Holl.

Holl’s clearly one of the best development stories of Kyle Dubas’ tenure with the Leafs. Holl went from being an ECHL defenseman, to playing four years in the AHL, to eventually being a top-four defenseman in the NHL.

However, don’t expect Holl to be a member of the Leafs for much longer.

Feb 10, 2022; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Jake Muzzin

Everyone loves Muzzin, but his contract and health makes him a likely candidate to get traded soon.

With a $5.625M cap-hit for the next two seasons, Muzzin should definitely on his way out the door. Toronto’s stacked on the left-side of defense right now with Morgan Rielly, Mark Giordano and potentially Rasmus Sandin filling all three spots, so it would make the most sense to move on from Muzzin to get that cap-space back.

Toronto may want to find another top-six left-winger, so you’d think they would want to trade Muzzin immediately to be able to gain that $5.625M in cap-space.

Although Muzzin is a veteran with two Stanley Cup ring’s, who played pretty well last playoffs, his health has been an issue in the past and he hasn’t been able to live up to his contract as much as expected.

Therefore, don’t be shocked if Toronto moves on from him sometime soon and the return isn’t much more than draft picks, as the team looks to gain cap-space.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 24: Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Alex Kerfoot

Kerfoot’s name is another one that gets looped into every hypothetical trade. But it makes sense why.

The 27-year-old is a swiss-army knife because he can play the wing, centre, penalty-kill and power-play and can also play in either the top or bottom-six. Although that’s a great player to have, he’s not dynamic enough to be in Toronto’s top-six.

So, at $3.5M, everyone would love to see that money distributed to someone else who can be a difference-maker.

Kerfoot finished with 13 goals and 51 points last year, which is pretty good value for $3.5M, but as previously mentioned, we all want more with that money. He’s a good player, but Toronto has been able to find “good players” like Michael Bunting for much cheaper.

As a result, if Toronto could package Kerfoot with a prospect or draft-pick, it may be enough to secure a dynamic player and someone who’s more of a goal-scorer than he is.

Next. New Signings Could Spark a Trade. dark

It’ll be interesting to see what Toronto would actually get in a Kerfoot trade, but based on his contract, he’s definitely someone who everyone is expecting to get traded soon.

Home / Editorials