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Hometown Players Toronto Maple Leafs Could Target in Trades

By Jeremy Ridgewell

Mar 25, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) takes the ice to warm up before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) takes the ice to warm up before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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With most of the Toronto Maple Leafs bottom six players hitting unrestricted free agency this summer, some new faces will likely join the team this season.

There will be plenty of free agents for the Toronto Maple Leafs to look at adding come July 1st, but free agency tends to come with higher price tags.

Toronto GM Brad Treliving could make some trades to free up salary cap space before free agency starts, so adding free agents isn’t completely out of the question.

However, Treliving might upgrade Toronto’s bottom six by using the trade market instead of overpaying UFA’s. If he does use the trade market, it will be interesting to see which type of players he targets. During his press conference, Treliving emphasized adding secondary scoring and players with some snarl.

With that in mind, there are two players Treliving could target that offer both. As an added bonus, these two players are also hometown players from the Toronto area.

Toronto Maple Leafs Could Trade for Tom Wilson

Tom Wilson only played 33 games last season, so his numbers were low. During the 2021-22 season, Wilson had 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points in 78 games.

He also registered 240 hits that season. Even though he only played 33 games last season, he still managed 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. The Washington Capital forward also had 97 hits.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Tom Wilson is not cheap. The rugged forward has a $5.1 million cap hit for this season.

Treliving would have to evaluate the cost of acquiring Wilson in terms of cap space and what Washington will ask for in return.

Yes, there will be players available through trade or free agency that cost less than Wilson but might not be able to give Toronto the 40-50 points that Wilson can or the 200+ hits. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade for Scott Laughton

The Philadelphia Flyers are in the midst of a roster overhaul.

Toronto could benefit from this by trading for 29-year-old forward Scott Laughton. Last season, Laughton registered 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 78 games. As for the snarl factor that Treliving is looking for, Laughton recorded 156 hits last season.

Laughton is under contract for three more seasons with a $3 million cap hit. He would fit better under Toronto’s cap structure as it stands right now. As I said before, the cap structure in Toronto could change depending on how Treliving reshapes the team this off-season.

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If I had to choose between these two players and could only add one of them, I would trade for Scott Laughton. His lower cap hit and better term on his contract seals the deal for me.

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