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.

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.

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.