Minnesota Wild
Zach Bogosian
Could we see the Leafs reunited with defenseman Zach Bogosian?
The 33-year-old, 6'2", 222 lbs defenseman is a pending UFA this summer and could be acquired as a rental. He has one goal and seven assists for eight points in 33 games.
Bogosian has recorded 44 blocked shots and 55 hits while averaging 16:55 minutes of ice time. I enjoyed his style of play when he played for the Leafs during the 2020-21 season.
The Leafs could fit Bogosian's $850,000 salary into their cap structure without any problems. However, he does have a 21-team no-trade list, so the Leafs would have to hope they're not on that list.
Jake Middleton
Jake Middleton is a 28-year-old, 6'3", 219 lbs. left-shooting defenseman. He has seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points this season. Middleton plays a more physical game than most Leafs defensemen, which the team needs come playoff time. He has 80 hits and 101 blocked shots in 49 games. Middleton can fit into the Leafs top-four as he is averaging 20:12 minutes of ice time.
Middleton has a decent salary cap hit of $2.45 million and is under contract until the end of next season. He is one of the cheaper non-rental options out there. I think he is a Treliving type of player, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs try to acquire him.
Marc-Andre Fleury
Considering the rumour that Leafs president Brendan Shanahan vetoed a trade Kyle Dubas had in place for Marc-Andre Fleury in the past, I doubt he would allow Treliving to add the veteran goaltender now. However, I'm adding him to this list as I think he could help the Leafs come playoff time, especially with the Leafs goaltending woes this season. Fleury has an 8-9-3 record in 23 games played, with a 2.95 GAA and a .897 SV% with one shutout.
Fleury will be retiring at the end of this season and deserves one last playoff run. His salary cap hit is $3.5 million, so the Leafs may need the Minnesota Wild to retain some salary.