What Does a Dream Trade Deadline Look Like for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Jan 25, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) shoots the puck in
Jan 25, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) shoots the puck in / Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
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How to Make It Happen

My Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Dream Scenario is as follows:

Juuce Saros in net, Jacob Chychrun on the blue-line, Trevor Zegras as the 3C and Pavel Buchnevich as the new left winger.

That, for the folks scoring at home, is a franchise goalie, a potential franchise centre, and two other star players. Sure, it's a dream, but it's not impossible.

Saros makes $5 million, so Ryan Reeves and Ilya Samsonov mostly allow the Leafs to make the salaries work.

Zegras makes $5.75 so the Leafs could afford him if Domi and Jarnkrok went the other way, again with maybe some slight retention on the Ducks part.

Finally Buchnevich makes $5.8 so the Leafs would need to pay enough here to make the Blues retain some of his salary. Kampf makes $2.4 and Timmins makes $1.1, so this could work if the Blue retain $2.4 million.

As I wrote earlier this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs have basically unlimited cap space, and this article shows how they could use it.

I'm not going to guess what all this would cost, but aside from the guys going the other way to make the salary work, it would cost multiple firsts and pretty much most of the team's top prospects.

I'd be fine with that. In the NHL, teams are way too conservative with their picks and prospects. This team would be absolutely insane and would be by far the NHL's best team. Who cares how Fraser Minten eventually turns out if you have a Stanley Cup? (all info capfriendly.com).

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A lineup with the additions of Chychrun, Saros, Zegras and Buchnevich would be an absolute Trade Deadline Master Class and cement GM Brad Treliving as a LEGEND and the greatest living human being on earth.