The Toronto Maple Leafs have recently gotten Ryan Reaves back from the IR and will soon also have Joseph Woll back.
Due to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster size and salary cap, some players require a new place to play. The easiest thing to do is send the waiver exempt Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson down to the AHL, but that hardly allows the Leafs to dress their best team.
The end of January is almost here. As February approaches, it is time to begin thinking about the NHL trade deadline on Friday, March 8th, 2024.
The Leafs need to upgrade their roster if they hope to find any success in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. As a whole, the Leafs have not been good enough this season. A lot of the blame falls on the defense and goaltending.
In net, Ilya Samsonov has not been nearly as good as last season, and the Leafs need him to be. Martin Jones has filled in decently for Samsonov but still doesn't possess great numbers.
On defense, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano, and Conor Timmins have all played below where they need to be. As for the forwards, secondary scoring has been an issue all season. The Leafs are lucky that Auston Matthews and William Nylander got off to great starts this season.
Although it sounds like Treliving doesn't usually like to make trades mid-season, he may not have a choice. The Leafs need to make some upgrades. They can't afford to waste another year with this core group. Trades could be a necessary factor for the Leafs. Here is a look at five players that Leafs GM Brad Treliving could trade away.