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2 players the Maple Leafs can still trade for and one prospect they must sell at the trade deadline

While the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Ilya Lyubushkin and now have very limited cap space, there are still a couple of players they can try to acquire.

By Todd Matthews

Mar 3, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) during a
Mar 3, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) during a / Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
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Prospect to sell: Roni Hirvonen

The Maple Leafs prospects pool isn’t the most exciting, but it also doesn’t mean a team like the Minnesota Wild, or another should Toronto attempt to work with another team, wouldn’t be interested in at least someone who isn’t currently with the big club. Sure, there are prospects that the Maple Leafs must hang onto at all costs, but there are a few who have enough upside to eventually play in the NHL, but who Toronto would be happy to send elsewhere if it meant acquiring a player to help them bring home that elusive Stanley Cup.

The 59th-overall pick in 2020, Roni Hirvonen just turned 22 and made the trip to North America following a few solid seasons in Finland. Unfortunately for Hirvonen, he suffered an eye injury early in his tenure with the Marlies, but he has since returned, and his overall experience playing at the professional level in Finland could be huge for the young player’s overall development. 

He’s not going to win many races from a skating standpoint, but he’s a relentless forward whose high-motor should impress several front offices looking to add a smaller but feisty player to their prospects pool. Hirvonen would need at least another season in the AHL to keep adapting to the North American style, but once he’s there, someone will have a solid bottom-six forward. 

Toronto could keep him around, but with this team being in win-now mode, it’s best to sell him in a potential trade to an organization that won’t contend this season. 

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