Every sports fan loves trade speculation, especially in the Toronto Maple Leafs market. As fans of the team, we love to hear about who the team could be interested in throughout the season and who the team trades for at the deadline.
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Leafs Nation was pretty fortunate in the 2022–23 NHL season with the trades that were made and the improvements it had on the roster. So, with training camps starting in a few weeks and the start of the 2023–24 NHL season right around the corner, let’s take a look at a few early trade targets for the Maple Leafs at the March 1, 2024 trade deadline.
#1: Corey Perry
Corey Perry, one of the game’s best rats, can drive his opponents crazy while still having a very unique skill to score big goals at big times. Many in the world of sports would call that clutch. Perry has done this numerous times against the Maple Leafs during his time with the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. This is why he should be targeted by the Maple Leafs. He would give them some veteran experience but also his clutch ability to score when the team needs it. Now that he inked a lucrative deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, he will most definitely be available at the 2024 NHL deadline, and there should be several teams interested. The Maple Leafs need guys like him on their playoff roster. He knows what it takes and can help calm the locker room, similar to what Jason Spezza did for the team during his time with the team.
Aside from that, he can add to that gritty style that the Maple Leafs’ new general manager (GM) Brad Treliving added to the lineup. The club signed Ryan Reaves, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi to bring a new and improved element to the team every night. Perry has that style of play and would be a great addition to those three players. Imagine a line with Reaves and Perry? Perry would get under the opponent’s skin, and Reaves would be there to back him up, using his toughness. That could finally help the Maple Leafs fight their playoff demons and make a long run at Lord Stanley. In terms of the asking price, that is hard to judge this early. However, with him on the Blackhawks, the expectation is that they could be interested in retaining 50% of Perry’s cap hit for a draft pick or prospect in return, which the Maple Leafs could make work.
#2: Adam Henrique
Adam Henrique could be a very sought-after player at this trade deadline. The 33-year-old has been part of a struggling Anaheim Ducks team for the last five seasons. Individually though, he produces at a decent rate, which will make him a target for many teams. Last season, he scored 38 points, and in the 2021–22 season, he had 42 points. If he can continue on that pace, he could end up with at least 30 points before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Yet, it isn’t just about point production with a player like Henrique. The Maple Leafs could experiment with John Tavares on the wing this season, which means they could be in search of a top-nine center, and that is where Henrinque will spark the interest of the club. He has had great success in the face-off dot, with a face-off percentage (FO%) last season of 51.1%.
He also had an almost perfect split in offensive and defensive zone starts last season. With 49.0% of his zone starts coming in the offensive zone (oZS%) and 51.0% coming in the defensive end (dZS%), meaning that he can be used in almost any situation, in any zone.
If the Maple Leafs can work out a deal with the Ducks, Henrique seems like a perfect fit for the team. He can slot into the second or third center position, which can push Tavares to the wing and give the lineup more speed down the middle. He also has additional aspects to his game that could be a perk, such as the fact that he is typically very disciplined, averaging only 19 penalty minutes per season. He also has a 58.9% shoot-through percentage (SThr%), which is good based on what former Maple Leaf and 2023 trade deadline acquisition Ryan O’Reilly had (71.0%). This stat isn’t the most talked about, but when it’s in the dying minutes of the third in a must-win game, having a player with a higher-than-average shoot-through percentage can have a huge impact on the outcome. As for a trade again, it is hard to evaluate how he will do this season, but the asking price will most likely be a middle- to high-round draft pick as well as a prospect.
#3: Noah Hanifin
If any GM in the NHL is going to be interested in Noah Hanifin at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, it will be Treliving. Being that they both were with the Calgary Flames last season, Treliving will be making the call if the Flames do make Hanifin available. What makes him a player of interest, though? Well, he almost embodies everything that the Maple Leafs need this season on the blue line. He hits, scores, puts his body in the way to block shots, and he can play a ton of minutes per night. Hanifin is a left-handed shot who could be asked to move to the right side to play alongside Morgan Rielly. However, even if that isn’t asked of him, he does make the Maple Leafs blue line better. Last season, he registered 38 points, 176 shots, 129 blocks, and 79 hits while averaging 22:39 minutes per game for the Flames. That is a stat line that would be useful to have on the Maple Leafs’ back end.
If he stays on the left side, a pairing with Timothy Liljegren would be very good. In the last few seasons, Liljegren has learned to be more of a two-way defenceman and paired with a player like Hanifin, who is an above-average two-way defenceman could spark Liljegren and untap his potential. This, in turn, would make the Maple Leafs’ defensive group deeper. This would push Jake McCabe and John Klingberg down to the third pairing and make Mark Giordano their seventh defenceman. This trade would be the biggest of the three. Some have linked Hanifin to Toronto this offseason, with William Nylander potentially going the other way. However, if the Maple Leafs are planning for a long run this postseason, they would be smart to keep Nylander, regardless of his contract status. Treliving and his club would have to look at other options, like prospects, roster players, or even a pick or two. The good thing is that Hanifin’s value may come down a bit throughout the season, so Toronto won’t have to give up as much for him.
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Unfortunately for all those trade lovers, we will need to wait until at least after Christmas for the trade bait boards and rumours to pick up. But on the bright side, there will be hockey this month, albeit preseason, the hockey fanatics will be counting down the days. The Maple Leafs start their 2023–24 season on Oct. 11, 2023, meaning we are only 40 days away from the Maple Leafs’ regular season beginning.
