Entering the 2026 offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to make some moves to get themselves back into contention status. With Mats Sundin and John Chayka at the new management helm for the Maple Leafs, they will be tasked to turn the team around after a disappointing 2025-26 showing.
In addition to making some potential key signings in the upcoming free agency in July, the Leafs can utilize the trade route to acquire assets that could help the team in the long run. With that, what would be Toronto’s biggest trade chip that they can use to get things done?
What is the Maple Leafs' best trade asset?
Matthew Knies? With teams looking for young, elite talent, Knies would certainly fit the bill, but it would be more wise for the Maple Leafs to keep him that potentially give him away and make the team worse off. How about the face of the franchise Auston Matthews? Matthews would definitely net the Leafs a haul of assets given his pedigree. But given that he has a full no-movement clause, it could severely handicap the Leafs in what they can get for the return in any trade deal involving their captain.
As a result, the No. 1 trade chip for Toronto is actually not even a player, but their first overall pick for the 2026 NHL Draft. With the 2026 draft class loaded with elite talent, starting with Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, followed by a plethora of top defenders in Chase Reid, Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff, teams will be salivating just to get a hold of a top-five pick. But with the No. 1 pick, they could control their own destiny and choose exactly the game-changing piece that they need.
From the Leafs standpoint, they could benefit greatly from such a deal in multiple ways. First of all, if Toronto ends up moving their first overall pick, which they would only do if they are presented with a hard to turn down deal, then they would be getting valuable assets that could help them immediately. For top prospects like the five mentioned above, as good as they could turn out to be, there will always be a growth and development curve that they may go through before eventually evolving into true stars. But if the Leafs want to win with the core they have now, they might not have the time to wait for that maturity in the top prospect.
Secondly, the Maple Leafs could turn the one big pick into multiple picks and net more than one top prospect instead. For instance, with San Jose owning the No. 2 and No. 20 picks from the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Leafs could trade down and grab those two picks and still be able to come away with top talent plus an extra bonus boost.
More importantly, teams could ultimately overpay to get the No. 1 pick so the Leafs could essentially get back draft picks PLUS immediate impact players at the same time as a result. That would be the ideal situation for Toronto as they would get the necessary help to turn the team’s fortunes around right away, while having the assets to ensure a sustainable future full of winning success.
Finally, the Maple Leafs can package the first overall pick along with other assets and think blockbuster for guaranteed superstar talent, say for a Quinn Hughes, or dare we even say, Connor McDavid. Moves like that would definitely alter the Leafs landscape for good and take the franchise to the next level.
The Maple Leafs will likely still hold onto the No. 1 pick for their own use as the safest bet. Nevertheless, if they are willing to make the bold gamble, their biggest trade chip could ultimately help change the franchise forever going forward.
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