5 Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Consider Trading
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.
Ilya Samsonov / Martin Jones
Once Joseph Woll returns to the Leafs lineup, the Leafs need to make a hard decision on his goaltending situation.
Both Samsonov and Jones are pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) this coming off-season. Samsonov is having a down year and needs to find the level he played at last season. Jones has done well filling in but has allowed three or more goals in each of his past five games.
I really think Treliving is going to need to trade one of them, since there is no sense in having three goalies on the roster.
It would be risky to try and sneak one of them through waivers down to the AHL Toronto Marlies. Both have made it through waivers once already this season, but there is no guarantee that they will get through a second time.
Samsonov has a 6-3-6 record through 17 games with a 3.69 GAA and a .866 SV%. His salary cap hit is $3.55 million, which could help him get through waivers, but if he builds off his win in Seattle and starts playing well, the Leafs will want to keep him.
As for Jones, he has a 9-6-1 record through 17 games with a 2.64 GAA and a .911 SV%. His salary cap hit is $875,000 and would be harder to sneak through now compared to the beginning of the season.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com) Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)
Trading Samsonov would free up more salary cap space, but the fact is there is no way the Leafs can be happy with what they have in net, so there is a chance that they also trade for outside help.
T.J. Brodie
Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie is not playing like himself this season, and he is a UFA this off-season.
His level of play has decreased substantially, which is to be expected of a player who is 33 years old.
Brodie also recently lost his father, so his decline could also have a mental component to it. I know what it's like to lose your father. I lost my father in January 2021, and I know how hard it can affect you mentally. It's not something that you can switch off while you're playing hockey.
However, if it is the reason for his decline in play, he should speak with the team and take time off. His head is not fully in the game, and the Leafs need it to be.
It may seem harsh if the Leafs trade Brodie when they know what he's been going through, but at the end of the day, the team needs to do what is best for the team.
Treliving's job is to make sure he does what is best for the Toronto Maple Leafs. So far, fans are undecided as to how he's doing as the new GM. Brodie has a modified no-trade clause in his contract, so it won't be easy to move him unless one of his specified teams is willing.
Moving Brodie's $5 million could help Treliving bring in a more effective defenseman to replace Brodie.
Mark Giordano
I love Mark Giordano as much as the next person, but this season is proof that his age is catching up with him.
The 40-year-old is getting beat to the puck on too many occasions. His lack of foot speed is a problem, especially if he gets caught out on the ice against much younger and faster players.
Giordano has been a workhorse for the Leafs, and I would love to see him help them win a Stanley Cup, but he could end up being more of a burden than anything else.
If the Leafs decide to keep Giordano, he is best suited as the seventh defenseman and can platoon with whoever is on the bottom defense pair.
His salary cap hit of $800,000 is a good reason to keep him, but it also makes him easier to trade. Giordano is good at blocking shots, and that is a helpful tool to have, but the Leafs could find a younger and faster defenseman that also blocks shots.
Giordano might refuse to play for anyone but the Leafs, so that could make it harder to trade him even though he doesn't have a no-move or no-trade clause.
I think trading him would allow more playing time for Timothy Liljegren and Simon Benoit, who deserve it. Trading Giordano might not be a fan favourite option, but it is an option that Treliving should explore.
Bobby McMann
Bobby McMann has bounced between the Leafs and Toronto Marlies during his past two seasons in the organization.
Unlike a few others on the Leafs, McMann will be a UFA this off-season.
He also needs to clear waivers for the Leafs to send him down to the AHL. Something that could happen when Tyler Bertuzzi returns to the team. Instead of taking the risk of losing him for nothing, the Leafs should explore the option of trading him.
McMann has gone through his share of ups and downs with the Leafs, but if he's unable to keep a permanent spot in the lineup, Treliving should trade him while he's healthy.
I'm sure there will be a few teams interested in the 27-year-old McMann. His $762,500 salary will make him attractive to teams with limited cap space. He's been a good depth guy for the Leafs, but we have plenty of those, and most either have more term on their deals or are restricted free agents (RFA), which the Leafs can control.
Unfortunately for McMann, he could be the odd man out.
I wouldn't expect the Leafs to get much McMann in a trade, but if they were able to free up cap space and a roster spot, that in itself could benefit the team moving forward. Trading McMann should help Treliving acquire a mid-round or late-round draft pick.
Ryan Reaves
It is safe to say that the Ryan Reaves experiment has been a complete failure.
One point in 21 games while averaging just over seven minutes a game. Yes, he has 44 hits, but most were ill-timed and did not help the team.
When he is on the ice, most people only notice him because of his lack of foot speed. His speed, or lack thereof, is a problem.
Reaves has not been the difference maker he was advertised as being. With two more years left on his contract with a $1.35 million salary cap hit, Leafs GM Brad Treliving needs to correct his mistake and rid himself of that contract.
Doing so will not be easy, but Treliving might have to bite on the first offer cast his way. I'm sure there will be some teams with interest, but I don't expect much of a return. Shedding Reave's cap hit is all that matters.
With Reaves returning to the lineup last night, we should get a decision on what the Leafs plan on doing with him. They could try to bury him in the AHL, but that doesn't help the Leafs salary cap as much as trading him.
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He will likely get a few games with the Leafs to showcase that he's not injured anymore before any trade deal gets made.