Entering the most important homestand of the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs had the opportunity to make up some valuable ground in the NHL standings while solidifying their hold on a playoff spot. However, the Maple Leafs would end up falling completely flat by putting up their worst mark in decades, coming out with a 0-4-1 record while being outscored 25-12 in the process.
In doing so, the Leafs are now in last place once again in the Atlantic Division with a full eight points out of a playoff position. In order to have any hope to still make the postseason, forget about the trade deadline, Toronto would need to act fast now before it’s too late. As a result, we will take a look at 3 massive trade targets that the Maple Leafs need to pursue right now to save their season.
Steven Stamkos
With their defense and goaltending looking shaky at best in recent games, perhaps one way to rectify the issue is by outscoring their problems. What better way to do so for the Leafs than to pursue one of the best goal scorers of this generation in Steven Stamkos. After all, Stamkos has registered 40+ goals seven times during his illustrious NHL career while helping the Tampa Bay Lightning to two Stanley Cup wins in the process.
He may have regressed a bit during his time with the Nashville Predators during the past couple of seasons. But even amidst some of his struggles, Stamkos is still on pace for more than 35 goals this year on a defensively-minded team. In comparison, the Leafs have only one player with more than 20 goals this season, that being captain Auston Matthews. By adding a lethal trigger like Stamkos to one of the Leafs top two lines and to their feeble power play, it might be enough to turn their whole season around in a flash.
Dougie Hamilton
One of the main weaknesses of the Leafs this season is their limited offensive threat from their blueliners. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly has 32 and 30 points respectively, with Ekman-Larsson leading all Leafs defenseman with eight goals. But outside of those two, no other defender on the team has more than three goals or 17 points, with the whole Toronto defensive corps producing just 101 points in total to rank 15th in the entire league. As a result, Dougie Hamilton can be the ideal solution to their back end troubles.
As a former 22-goal scorer and 74-point getter with the New Jersey Devils back in the 2022-23 season, Hamilton could provide Toronto with the massive offensive impact they dearly need while becoming a top-four defender for the club. In addition, as a right-handed shot, he could partner with Rielly or Jake McCabe effectively in facing top competition from the opposition. Most importantly, Hamilton can finally pay his dues with the Maple Leafs after being the elite draft pick selection that they once traded away to Boston in the Phil Kassel trade deal.
Artemi Panarin
Finally, if the Maple Leafs want to ensure they get a player that could single-handedly turn this whole team around, they need to go after the consensus top trade target in all of the NHL in Artemi Panarin. As a five-time 30-goal scorer while posting more than 74 points in every single season since joining the league (albeit the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season), Panarin has been one of the most consistent offensive producers in the entire league during the past decade.
On top of that, in making a move for Panarin, it would instantly be the Maple Leafs’ best franchise-altering trade acquisition since the Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin era. The 34-year-old star forward would slot in nicely beside Matthews and become the ideal official Mitch Marner replacement for good. Even if it requires the Leafs to potentially give up Easton Cowan and Ben Danford and more, the opportunity to finally add a significant piece to their contending puzzle and put the Leafs over the top is something that the franchise cannot pass up on anymore.