3 Trade Partners for Toronto Maple Leafs This Offseason

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There are many teams in salary-cap troubles, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, which means a trade is imminent.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t make a trade this offseason, it’ll be incredibly shocking, because they are currently over the salary cap. It still seems like they need to upgrade thier top-six and if they want to re-sign Rasmus Sandin, another player has to get traded to make room (most likely).

The organization can’t actually think they have a Stanley Cup winning roster right now, can they?

Don’t get me wrong. On paper, right now, this is still a playoff team and one that will win a ton of regular season games. But at the end of the day, it’s still essentially the same team we’ve seen over the past few years and that roster has continued to lose in Game 7’s.

In order to better their team, they still need one more high-skilled forward who can make a difference in the playoffs.

We can’t rely on Michael Bunting and Alex Kerfoot in the biggest moments, but instead need someone with fire-power and one that can deliver in the playoffs. The same thing applies to the defensive-core.

Jordie Benn and Victor Mete are not getting this team to the next level. They need another top-four defenseman to insolate the group and make them even better.

Here are three potential trade partners for the Leafs this offseason:

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 30: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 30, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Vegas Golden Knights

Potential Trade Targets:
- Jonathan Marchessault ($5M cap-hit, Winger)
- Shea Theodore ($5.2M cap-hit, Defenseman)

The Vegas Golden Knights are flying by the seat of their pants, as they’re incredibly tight to the salary-cap right now.

Based on Shea Weber’s LTIR, they’ll be able to get back under the salary-cap, but they’re still pretty tight with only 10 forwards and six defenseman signed. As a result, Vegas has been known to make big trades in the past, so they could be interested in working with Toronto.

Marchessault and Theodore are a big part of the Golden Knight’s roster, but they’re under contract for the next two years, minimum. In order to free up cap-space for this year and next, they may look to move on from either player and get some breathing room from the cap.

Marchessault is a 30-goal scorer and Thedore can play the right or left side. If either of these players became available, Toronto needs to pounce and try to acquire either player.

ELMONT, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 02: Adam Larsson #6 of the Seattle Kraken prepares for the face-off against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on February 02, 2022 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Seattle Kraken

Potential Trade Targets:
- Adam Larsson ($4M cap-hit, Defenseman)

Over the past week, The Hockey Writers have brought up the idea of the Toronto Maple Leafs trading for Adam Larsson and I’m starting to believe the hype.

The only thing that Seattle wants to compete for right now is the first-overall pick, so why wouldn’t they be open to trading Larsson? The 29-year-old is a solid top-four defenseman on the roster, but he’s only going to help them win right now, which is the opposite of what the team is trying to accomplish.

The Kraken are at least three years away from being a playoff team, so why not make a deal with the Leafs?

In a perfect world, Toronto could trade Jake Muzzin for Adam Larsson and instantly save $1.625M. Not only that, but they would make their right-side of their defense better and they’d be able to use that money to re-sign Rasmus Sandin.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Larrson still brings size that you’d miss from Muzzin, but most importantly, you’d get a reliable and healthy defenseman. Larsson has played in every game three of the past four seasons, which is something that can’t be said about Muzzin.

Obviously, this trade straight-up probably wouldn’t work, but if you added a draft pick or two, the Kraken may say yes, as draft picks are one of their most important assets right now.

Mar 10, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) carries the puck up ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3: Arizona State Coyotes

Potential Trade Targets:
- Jacob Chychrun ($4.6M cap-hit, Defenseman)

Although, he’s a left-shooting defenseman, Chychrun has the ability to play either side of the ice, which is very important. Toronto needs help on the right-side, so if you can slide him in beside Morgan Rielly, it would make their defensive-group so much better.

Chychrun hasn’t quite lived up to his expectations, but he’s also been stuck in hockey prison over his entire career, playing on a terrible Arizona team. Despite the team around him continuing to struggle, he still scored 18 goals in 56 games in the 2020-21 season and showed his offensive upside.

Paired beside Rielly, the two could do a ton of damage and Toronto needs to trade for him, NOW!

Not only should they trade for him because of his talent, but because he’s only making $4.6M for the next three years. His salary-cap control is almost as important as his skill-set and he’d instantly fill a hole for Toronto for the next few years.

Next. Ottawa Senators Are So Much Worse Than Leafs. dark

Whether it’s a future first-round pick (or two) and/or Nick Robertson, this is a trade that needs to happen and Chychrun should be at the top of the Toronto Maple Leafs trade bait board as they look to improve their roster this offseason.

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