General manager Brad Treliving wants to be aggressive and make the Toronto Maple Leafs a better team. The Maple Leafs have struggled this season and find themselves in last place in the Atlantic Division while only sitting five points out of a spot. Although the season is not over, the Leafs have to make a decision quickly on whether they want to be a buyer or seller. With how the season has gone and the assets that they have, they could use the remainder of this season and the offseason to retool and come out better next year, but that doesn't seem to be the direction they want to go in.
What the Leafs need
Brad Treliving is in desperate need of a top-six forward; he has mentioned it in the past and recently. Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies have been struggling to produce with Mitch Marner, and William Nylander has been extremely inconsistent over the middle stages of the season. The stars have not played as well as they have in the past, which has led to where the Maple Leafs currently sit.
One player that Treliving could try to acquire is Jonathan Marchessault. Marchessault has struggled since he signed with the Nashville Predators just two offseasons ago. The 34-year old carries a cap hit of $5.5M until 2029. For this trade to be possible and worth it for the Leafs, the Predators will have to eat some of Marchessault's contract.
How can he bounce back?
In 28 games this season, he has seven goals and three assists, with a -18 rating. These stats don't scream someone who could benefit the Maple Leafs top-six. But when you look deeper into Marchessault, this could be something the Leafs should look at. Just two seasons ago, during the 2023-24 campaign, Marchessault scored 42 goals for the Vegas Golden Knights. Marchessault is a very productive high-scoring winger went put in good situations like Vegas. If Marchessault can play big minutes with Matthews and Knies, we could see the return of Johnathan Marchessault.
To acquire a player of the likes of Marchessault, the Leafs will likely need to wait for his price to drop and acquire him during the Trade Deadline or just before. The Predators could very well be asking for a very unreasonable price at this stage of the season. The Maple Leafs will likely have to send Max Domi the other way, along with a prospect or pick. For the Maple Leafs that don't have a lot of either, they will have to be smart with the assets they give up.
Big decisions ahead
Jonathan Marchessault is an intriguing player and could be worth the risk for the Leafs to jump on. Marchessault provides speed and skill with veteran Stanley Cup leadership. He unfortunately did not turn out the way that the Predators had hoped, but that doesn't mean he can't return to how he used to be somewhere else.