5 NHL Stars Who May Get Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs

5 NHL Stars Who May Get Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Shayne Gostisbehere

Shayne Gostisbehere is an intriguing player.

Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round, 78th overall in the 2012 draft, the defenseman very quickly turned heads.

When he first broke into the NHL, there was a buzz about him. He showed that he could generate offense from the rear without over-committing and leaving his club vulnerable.

Though he had already played a pair of games for the Flyers, Gostisbehere’s rookie season was 2015-16. That year, he played 64 games where he scored 17 goals and added 29 assists for a total of 46 points.

The Flyers weren’t able to escape the first round of the playoffs, but in the six contests they played, Gostisbehere recorded a goal and an assist.

The following season the defender collected 39 points on seven goals and 32 assists in 76 games. His best season was the very next one in 2017-18.

Gostisbehere had 65 regular season points in 78 contests. The campaign consisted of 13 goals and 52 assists. While he never reached that sum again, he’s remained a capable player with proven scoring and facilitating abilities.

On July 1, 2023, Gostisbehere signed with his current team, the Detroit Red Wings. They agreed to a one-year pact worth $4.125M. That’s the same value and length of a deal that the Leafs gave John Klingberg.

From a purely point production perspective, Klingberg recorded 33 points in 67 games on 10 goals and 23 assists. Gostisbehere played 75 games where he registered 41 points on 13 goals and 28 assists.

Gostisbehere isn’t one of the NHL’s best shutdown defenseman but he has more success at it than Klingberg. If Klingberg couldn’t finish the season for some reason, there’s no doubt that Steve Yzerman’s phone in Detroit would start to ring with an offer by Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs.