There has been a lot of trade talks recently about who the Toronto Maple Leafs should trade from their roster. Whether it be seasoned veterans, or even some young prospects.
Many big names have been spotted on NHL insiders' trade board, including St. Louis Blues goaltender, Jordan Binnington, Calgary Flames blueliner, Rasmus Andersson, and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks.
While securing a big name player like those mentioned above would be great, the Leafs also have to look at what they need. As of now, help on the blueline and some depth scoring would help the team significantly.
Narrowing down on the depth scoring help, there is one player who stands out and can be considered underrated. That player is Utah Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz.
Nick Schmaltz could address key issues for Maple Leafs
He has been great so far this season, tallying 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 24 games played. Schmaltz is currently tied for the highest point total on the Mammoth. He is also second on the team in goals and has the second-most assists in Utah. Despite those numbers, Schmaltz is on a bit of a cold stretch as of late, not having recorded a point in the last five games.
Schmaltz always finds himself in the slot and in close, around the net for a chance to score a goal. Whether it's a normal shot or a tip-in, he always tries to touch the puck for a goal. He played a full 82-game season last year, where he got career highs in both points (63) and assists (43). He has benefited from logging minutes on Utah's top line with Clayton Keller.
However, something interesting to point out is that the 29-year-old, soon to be 30, Schmaltz is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, as he is currently in the seventh and final year of his contract that has a cap hit of $5.85 million dollars and a total value of $40.95 million, which he signed in 2019 when the Mammoth were known as the Arizona Coyotes.
By putting up almost a point-per-game so far this season, Schmaltz would be looking to cash in this offseason, should he hit the free agent market. The Leafs could, in fact, wait until then if need be. However, if they are desperate to get some offensive help, they could also consider shipping out a couple roster pieces to Utah for him.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, the Mammoth currently holds onto the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, which means they would almost certainly not give up Schmaltz at the moment, especially given his performance so far this season. The only way they would hypothetically accept sending Schmaltz to the Leafs is if they get an NHL-ready player to fill the hole that the departure of Schmaltz would leave.
There are a few names from the Leafs who could be included in a package for Schmaltz. Max Domi could be someone to help provide depth and a bit of physicality for Utah. He's also halfway through his current four-year contract and makes less than Schmaltz. However, he has also underperformed this season compared last year.
Young Leafs prospects might be more up Utah's alley, given that Schmaltz has been putting up numbers and will look to keep getting skilled players on their roster. The Leafs could even include a couple of mid-round draft picks to help sweeten the deal.
With this being said, Schmaltz could help the Leafs out, given how he has performed so far, but a trade for him might cost Toronto more than they would hope, given how Utah is in the Wild Card hunt. To play it smart, the Leafs should wait until the offseason to offer Schmaltz a contract.