Toronto Maple Leafs: Looking at the Capitals Roster For Trade Ideas

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a position to be buyers ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be hoping to pick the bones of clubs on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

Those teams will likely be looking to acquire assets in exchange for players whom they may lose in free agency over the summer. A franchise that fits this description perfectly is the Washington Capitals.

Unfortunately, things have not worked out in the way they would have hoped this season. While their fans have enjoyed seeing Alexander Ovechkin do what he does, continue to score en masse, those same fans have had to endure seeing their team collect losses.

The Capitals aren’t just primed to be sellers, but they could very well clear house. That’s because they are stocked with players at the ends of their contracts. General Manager Brian MacLellan should be looking for a way to salvage this season and the best way to do so while missing the playoffs is to build for the future.

There are different trade scenarios that can play out, but if the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for a rental, then they don’t need to look any further than to Washington. According to Capfriendly, The Caps have five forwards set to become unrestricted free agents (UFA). Incredibly, every single one of their active NHL defensemen are playing on expiring deals. Six of those contracts are UFAs and two are restricted free agents (RFA). (all stats naturalstattrick.com).

Let’s dig into who may be available and why they may be interesting for the Leafs.

Dmitry Orlov #9 of the Washington Capitals shoots against the Florida Panthers (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Capitals Defensemen who may Interest the Toronto Maple Leafs

Left-shooting defenseman Dmitry Orlov may be at the top of the Leafs wish list in this group.

He has played well on a poor team and has the stats to back it up. In 43 games, Orlov has recorded 3 goals and 16 assists. His possession metrics show that he’s been effective playing against opponents top players. Orlov has an even-strength Corsi rating of 51.1%, which is slightly better than his team. He is currently playing with a cap hit of $5.1 million.

The Leafs could also be interested in the Caps right-shooting defenseman, Nick Jensen. He averages 20:52 minutes per contest and is an important part of the team’s D-core. Jensen has scored a goal and added 20 helpers in 59 games. He is playing on a cap hit of $2.5 million.

A player who the Leafs could very well target is Trevor van Riemsdyk. He is someone that Sheldon Keefe could advocate to acquire because of his ability to defend and willingness to put his body on the line every single night. In fact, van Riemsdyk leads his club in blocked shots this year with 128 of them.

With John Carlson on LTIR, van Riemsdyk has been playing on the top pairing with Orlov. Van Riemsdyk could likely be acquired without Toronto giving up a large package and he’d be an easy fit into Toronto’s cap space with his $950k AAV. Even if it was just for insurance purposes, van Riemsdyk could be a strong candidate for a trade.

Don’t count out Erik Gustafsson either. He is a puck moving defender who can help add offense. Gustafsson this season has played in 58 games where he has registered 7 goals and 27 assists. His even strength possession metrics are solid as well.

Gustafsson has a Corsi rating of 54.6%, which is 5.7 greater than his team. It’s important to keep in mind that he is someone who can help on the powerplay but struggles to shut down opponents.

Conor Sheary #73 of the Washington Capitals (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /

The Capitals Forwards the Leafs Might Like

Let’s begin with someone Toronto should avoid. Even though there’s no doubt that the Maple Leafs would like to see Tom Wilson in Blue and white. Injuries have limited the skilled tough guy to just 10 games.

Wilson is the type of player that fits the mold for playoff hockey but with the likely high price it would take to pry him away from the Capitals, it’s not worth spending on someone who may not play.

Instead, the Leafs may wish to set their sights on someone much smaller than Wilson, Conor Sheary. The 5’8″, 179 lbs 30-year-old left-winger is someone who could be a very useful rental. Playing on a $1.5 million cap hit, Sheary has put together a 12 goal and 18 assists campaign in 59 contests.

For a little more versatility, another rental option would be Marcus Johansson. He’s someone who can play on either wing. He’s 6’1″, 205 lbs. At 32-years-old, Johansson has similar stats as Sheary. He has posted 28 points in 59 games on 13 goals and 15 assists. The pair also happen to be linemates.

Garnet Hathaway may get a quick look, mostly because of his shooting. He wouldn’t necessarily be an upgrade for the Leafs but the 31-year-old right-winger has looked good with his 12.9 shooting percentage. For comparison’s sake, Auston Matthews shooting percentage this year is 12.3.

There is one more forward who the Leafs should consider. He’s the crown jewel of the possibly moved Capitals’ forwards.

T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The Crown Jewel of Caps Trades

Even though he’s signed until the completion of the 2024-25 season, there has been rumors that T.J. Oshie might be on the block. If this is true, that’s a lot of talent the Maple Leafs could look to acquire.

The right-winger is 36-years-old, playing on a $5.75 million cap hit. His contract grants him a modified no-trade list. It’s unclear whether the Leafs are one of the ten teams he is able to block, but if they aren’t it’s worth general manager Kyle Dubas inquiring about the asking price for the American.

Oshie’s cap hit would be a problem for the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Capitals were willing to retain salary (especially if they went as far as the maximum 50-per cent), then he becomes far more valuable.

Oshie is in his 15th year in the NHL and like many of his teammates, has won the Stanley Cup. He happens to be producing at the worst rate in his entire career. He is registering 0.49 points per game, which has come through 41 games. In that span, Oshie scored 11 goals and 9 assists.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs, Oshie would be surrounded with far better players, where he’d be able to use his soft mitts to his full advantage. Even if Oshie were to play on Toronto’s third line with David Kampf and Pierre Engvall, he represents an upgrade and makes the Leafs lineup deeper.

Next. The Trade to Push Leafs Over the Top. dark

There’s a lot for Dubas and MacLellan. They may not be able to get a deal done before the Mar. 3 deadline, but there are many options available.

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