Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Targets from the Pacific Division
Welcome to the fourth and final part of my Toronto Maple Leafs trade targets series.
I have been looking at how the Leafs can upgrade their roster before the NHL trade deadline.
This article will focus on teams considered sellers or potential sellers in the Pacific Division.
Let's take a look at possible trade targets for the Leafs.
San Jose Sharks
Jan Rutta
Jan Rutta is a 33-year-old, 6'3", 204 Lbs., right-shooting defenseman. He has three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 45 games this season.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner is averaging 19:25 minutes of ice time but has played more than 20 minutes a game in his last five games. He could slide right into the Leafs top four on the blue line. Rutta also has 70 blocked shots and 37 hits this season. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Rutta is under contract until the end of next season with a salary cap hit of $2.75 million. That is a good price for a right-shooting defenseman who can play as much as Rutta can.
(All salary cap information from capfriendly.com)
Alexander Barabanov
Alexander Barabanov is a 24-year-old, 5'10", 195 Lbs, winger and a former Toronto Maple Leafs player (2020). He has three goals and six assists for nine points in 31 games.
After registering 47 points in 68 games last season, Barabanov is having a down year. Maybe returning to the Leafs and getting the chance to play in the playoffs will give him the spark he needs.
Barabanov has a salary cap hit of $2.5 million, but his contract is up at the end of this season, so he would only be coming to the Leafs as a rental. He is one of the cheaper potential rental players.
Anthony Duclair
Anthony Duclair is a 28-year-old, 5'11", 197 Lbs, left wing. He has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 46 games. Duclair is averaging 15:50 minutes of ice time this season. He has 22 blocked shots, 23 hits, and 19 takeaways compared to 12 giveaways.
Duclair has a salary cap hit of $3 million, but his contract is up at the end of this season, so he would only be coming to the Leafs as a rental. He is a decent depth option to consider.
Anaheim Ducks
Ilya Lyubushkin
Ilya Lyubushkin is a 29-year-old, 6'2", 200 Lbs, right-shooting defenseman and former Leaf (2022). He has four assists in 47 games but is more known for what he does without the puck. Lyubushkin is averaging 17:03 minutes of ice time this season. He has 121 blocked shots and 72 hits. His physical style of play would be a nice addition for the Leafs to have in the playoffs.
Lyubushkin has a salary cap hit of $2.75 million, and he is a pending UFA this summer. He was a rental the last time the Leafs traded for him, so history could repeat itself.
Frank Vatrano
Frank Vatrano is a 29-year-old, 5'11", 197 Lbs, left wing. He has 22 goals and 14 assists for 36 points in 50 games. Vatrano is averaging 18:16 minutes of ice time this season. He has 55 blocked shots and 78 hits. Vatrano is on pace to set a new career high in points from the 41 points he registered last season.
Vatrano has a salary cap hit of $3.65 million. He is under contract until the end of next season. The Leafs could use some help in their top six on the left wing, and Vatrano could be the answer.
Sam Carrick
Sam Carrick is a 32-year-old, 6'0", 200 Lbs. forward who can play center or right wing. He has seven goals and three assists for 10 points in 50 games. Carrick is averaging 12:47 minutes of ice time this season. He has 23 blocked shots and 78 hits. Carrick played parts of two seasons with the Leafs between 2014-2016.
Carrick has a salary cap hit of $850,000. He is a pending UFA and could be a cheap depth option for the Leafs to acquire.
Calgary Flames
Noah Hanifin
Noah Hanifin is a 27-year-old, 6'3", 207 Lbs. left-shooting defenseman. He has nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 50 games. Hanifin is averaging 23:33 minutes of ice time this season. He has 33 blocked shots and 31 hits. He could be the scoring threat the Leafs thought they were getting when they signed John Klingberg, who is now on LTIR.
Hanifin has a salary cap hit of $4.95 million. He will be a UFA this summer and is one of the pricier rental options for the Leafs to consider. He could be the answer for helping the Leafs power play.
Chris Tanev
Chris Tanev is a 34-year-old, 6'2", 193 Lbs. right-shooting defenseman. He has one goal and eight assists for nine points in 47 games. Tanev is averaging 19:42 minutes of ice time this season. He has an impressive 142 blocked shots, along with 18 hits. Tanev likes to keep pucks away from his team's net, which would be nice for the Leafs to have.
Tanev has a salary cap hit of $4.5 million. He will be a UFA this summer and is another pricy rental option for the Leafs to consider.
Jacob Markstrom
Jacob Markstrom is a 34-year-old, 6'6", 207 Lbs. goaltender. He has a 15-13-2 record with two shutouts through 30 games. Markstrom currently has a 2.55 GAA and a .913 SV%. He could be an option if the Leafs trade one of Martin Jones or Ilya Samsonov, and Joseph Woll is not ready to return from injury yet.
Markstrom will not be easy to add with a salary cap hit of $6 million. He is under contract until the end of the 2025-26 season. His current contract was given to him by the Leafs GM Brad Treliving, while he was the GM of the Flames.
Seattle Kraken
Tomas Tatar
Tomas Tatar is a 33-year-old, 5'10", 173 Lbs. winger who can play on both wings. He has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 46 games. He is averaging 12:51 minutes of ice time this season. Tatar has a Corsi For rating of 51.2%, along with 16 blocked shots and 22 hits. He finished last season with 48 points, so he does have potential.
Tatar has a salary cap hit of $1.5 million. He is a pending UFA this summer, so he would only be a depth rental. However, his cap hit is smaller than most potential rentals, so that makes him attractive on the trade market.
William Borgen
William Borgen is a 27-year-old, 6'3", 204 Lbs. right-shooting defenseman. He has one goal and 16 assists for 17 points in 50 games. He is averaging 17:38 minutes of ice time this season. Borgen has 66 blocked shots and 114 hits. His physical style of play could benefit the Leafs in the playoffs.
Borgen has a salary cap hit of $2.7 million. He is under contract until the end of next season. Acquiring him for the rest of this season and next could be a good thing, especially with a few of the Leafs defensemen being a UFA this summer.
Alexander Wennberg
Alexander Wennberg is a 29-year-old, 6'2", 190 Lbs center. He has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 50 games. He is averaging 18:42 minutes of ice time this season. Wennberg has 55 blocked shots and 20 hits. He also has 33 takeaways compared to 15 giveaways.
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Wennberg has a salary cap hit of $4.5 million. He is a pending UFA this summer. Acquiring him would likely only be as a rental. It will be tricky to add Wennberg at full price, but we'll see what Treliving has up his sleeve.