Word on the street is that former Toronto Maple Leafs GM is ready for a fire-sale in Pittsburgh and our beloved blue-and-white need to capitalize.
It does seem far-fetched that Kyle Dubas would trade some of his best players to his former team when he has 30 other organizations to work with, but the Toronto Maple Leafs could bring the best deal to the table.
When you look at the Leafs farm system, they have a solid pool of prospects that Dubas will not only want, but is familliar with. As the former boss in Toronto, he drafted and/or developed most of the top prospects that the Leafs currently have, so he may be very intrigued at getting them back in Pittsburgh.
Toronto's top prospects are well-balanced because they have forwards, defenseman and goaltender's who all have a great opportunity at making an impact at the NHL-level in a few years. For example, the Leafs best prospects are the following: Easton Cowan (F), Fraser Minten (F), Topi Niemela (D), Dennis Hildeby (G), Artur Akhtyamov (G) and Ben Danford (D).
The Penguins just put Tristan Jarry on waivers, so they have a strong need for another goaltender and the Leafs could have two ready to make the leap in the next year or two. Akhtyamov and Hildeby are currently stuck behind Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz, so the Leafs could be willing to move on from one of them, if it meant aquiring a player who can make an impact now.
Toronto Maple Leafs Should Make a Move With Kyle Dubas
As much as his contract scares me, the most obvious trade option for the Leafs right now is Erik Karlsson. Dubas took a huge swing on Karlsson and it unfortunately hasn't worked out in Pittsburgh, but it's not Karlsson's fault. He's still be an elite defenseman who drives play and tilts the ice in his team's favor.
The Penguins are not a good team, but they are in the playoff race despite some of the worst goaltending in the league, and Erik Karlsson is a big part of that. The Leafs desparately need puck moving defenseman, and Karlsson is only two years removed from a 25 goal, 101 point campaign, which is something this Leafs organization has never seen in its 100-plus year history.
Another player the Leafs should consider trading for off Pittsburgh is Michael Bunting. The team only moved on from him because of his contract, but if Pittsburgh can retain some of his salary, his contract gets very affordable.
With 13 goals in 46 games this year, Bunting is on-pace with his Toronto goal totals and can jump into the team's top-six immediately. He found a ton of success playing alongside Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews and could fit perfectly beside them again, or he could slide beside John Tavares and William Nylander, keeping Matthew Knies on the top-line.
Either way, Bunting would be a welcomed addition and someone we all know will work. He's familar with Toronto, so that won't scare him, and knows all the players. Not only that, but it felt like he was a great locker room guy too, who was loved by his teammates, so I'm sure the core-four would love to see him return.
Adding Bunting would really solidify the top-six and although this isn't a superstar move, I think it would help improve the forward group without shaking anything too much. Either way, Pittsburgh has a lot of players who the Leafs should be interested in and I hope Dubas isn't too petty to make a deal.