3 Trades to Make Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Favorites

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to change their playoff misfortune by making a huge trade at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline.

Remember when there wasn’t a salary-cap and the Toronto Maple Leafs could make crazy big moves, acquiring future Hall-of-Famers?

Players like Brian Leetch, Phil Housley, Ron Francis and Doug Gilmour were all acquired near the end of their career to give the Leafs one more chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Obviously, some of those trades worked out better and the team never ended up winning a championship, but at least it was exciting.

I’d love to live in a world where Toronto could make a splash like that, but we haven’t seen the team acquire a top player at the deadline in years. General Manager Kyle Dubas has continued to say that he doesn’t want to mortgage the team’s future too much when it comes to acquiring a rental player, but sometimes you have to go full video-game GM and make a splash.

When you’re playing a video game, draft picks and prospects don’t matter, but instead, all you care about is acquiring the biggest fish. This trade deadline is stacked with talent and the Leafs should do whatever it takes to get better.

Matthew Knies, Topi Niemela and all of the team’s draft picks should be on the table this year, if it means they’re going to be better this year. You only get so many chances to win a Stanley Cup and the window is closing for this team, so they should take advantage of it now.

Here are three trade acquisitions that would turn Toronto into the Stanley Cup favorite.

Timo Meier #28 of the San Jose Sharks celebrates after scoring a goal (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Timo Meier

The first big trade happened a couple weeks ago when the Islanders picked up Bo Horvat. Then, last week, winger Vladimir Tarasenko was dealt to the New York Rangers, giving us a rough idea of what the trade market will look like.

The Rangers acquired Niko Mikkola and Tarasenko, in exchange for Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick. Not only that, but the Blues retained 50 percent of Tarasenko’s contract.

Two draft picks, a roster player and a prospect does not seem like a huge price to pay to acquire a top-six forward and depth defenseman. Tarasenko will have more of an impact than Mikkola, but he shouldn’t be slept on in this trade.

Since Tarasenko was right up there on the trade bait board, you’d think that it would cost something similar to get Meier.

Meier, a three-time 30-goal scorer, is having a brilliant season and would be a perfect fit in the Toronto Maple Leafs top-six.

As much as the Leafs goal-production is built around it’s top-six, they can always improve, especially at their left-wing position.

Calle Jarnkrok is fine but he’s better suited in the bottom-six, so bringing in another superstar would make the top-two lines almost unstoppable.

Ryan O’Reilly #90 of the St. Louis Blues (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Ryan O’Reilly

I feel like there’s nobody higher on O’Reilly than me right now. If you look strictly at this offensive production, you’re not going to find someone as skilled as Meier, or Patrick Kane (spoiler alert: he’s No. 3 on this list), but his work-ethic and defensive abilities make him a great fit.

The seven-time 20-goal scorer can obviously find the back of the net, but the best part of his game is his hockey IQ and defensive ability at centre. If you watch him play, you’ll notice how dominant he is with his stick, forcing turnovers and being defensively sound.

He can help the penalty-kill, but at the same time can be a contributor on the Leafs second power-play unit. His unique skillset makes him a perfect player for any coach and Sheldon Keefe could play him on the second-line at wing, or at centre, if he wanted to move John Tavares to the side.

In 64 playoff games, O’Reilly has 56 points, so his game seems to improve in the biggest moments, most notably winning a Conn Smythe Trophy on-route to helping the St. Louis Blues win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

His stats haven’t been great this year, but a change of scenery could do O’Reilly well, as he looks to earn another big contract this offseason. He’s not as high on other people’s list, but I truly think this player would make the Toronto Maple Leafs a Stanley Cup favorite based on his unique skillset.

Mar 13, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (88) pursues the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3: Patrick Kane

After the Rangers acquired Tarasenko, Kane seemed very angry that it wasn’t him who was shipped to New York.

After spending his entire professional hockey life in Chicago thus far, it feels like it’ll be a matter of days now before he gets traded for the first time in his career.

Ever since the Blackhawks became one of the worst teams in hockey, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane’s names have been rumored to be traded, as the team looks to move in a different direction. Although any team would love to have those players, it makes the most sense to trade them now, as Chicago won’t be relevant again for another three years, most likely.

The 34-year-old still has a lot left in the tank, especially come playoff time, where he’ll be valued the most. Throughout his career, Kane has shined in the biggest moments, winning a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013, along with three Stanley Cup rings.

With 132 points in 136 career playoff games, there’s no scenario that Kane hasn’t faced in the playoffs and that experience would help the Leafs tremendously. Toronto needs another superstar to provide a big goal or assist near the end of a crucial game and Kane could be that player.

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The creativity of Kane and Marner on the ice would make defenders dizzy, so if the Leafs were able to pull off this miracle and get the future Hall-of-Famer, they’d be instant Stanley Cup favorites.

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