As is the case ahead of seemingly every trade deadline, the rumour mill is buzzing and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the middle of just about everything. Depending on what you might believe, they could be in on Chris Tanev, they might make a play for Juuse Saros or they may have Matt Dumba in their sights. Heck, why not all of the above?
Not to throw cold water on some fun speculation, but all of these players would require available cap room and probably demand a return of significant future assets, two things that the Maple Leafs do not have in great supply. Furthermore, is general manager (GM) Brad Treliving even intent on going all-in for this season when the club, to this point, has yet to resemble a serious Stanley Cup contender?
It remains to be seen what direction the Maple Leafs front office opts to pursue in advance of March 8, but any discussion about trade targets for Toronto has to include some consideration of what or who might be going the other way. With that in mind, here is a ranking of the organization’s top trade assets that they could plausibly part with in the coming month-plus:
5) Secondary Prospects in the System
We’ll get to the crown jewels of the farm system a bit further down, but what do the Maple Leafs have to offer when it comes to second-tier prospects? Topi Niemelä is a tantalizing puck-moving defenceman who has taken some big strides this season in adapting to the North American game as part of the Toronto Marlies. However, others might have their eye on a skilled but undersized center like Roni Hirvonen, a playmaker like Ty Voit or a more pro-ready player like Alex Steeves or William Villeneuve.
Perhaps the most interesting name to emerge in Toronto’s prospect pool this season has been 6-foot-7 netminder Dennis Hildeby. In his first full season in North America, the 22-year-old Swede has been a steadying presence behind a disappointing Marlies team, sporting a 2.49 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. After years of being unable to develop their own goaltenders, the organization suddenly has Joseph Woll and Hildeby coming up through the ranks as homegrown options in the crease (or potential trade bait).
4) Matthew Knies
If Matthew Knies were to be made available by the Maple Leafs, he would instantly vault to No. 1 on this list. That he doesn’t rank higher has less to do with the potential level of interest in the 21-year-old and more to do with the improbability that he’d hit the trade market.
But is there a trade target big enough to warrant the inclusion of Knies in a deal? It’s doubtful that the Vancouver Canucks wanted to lose Andrei Kuzmenko, but that was ultimately the cost of acquiring Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames. Of course, the type of trade that would warrant the inclusion of the University of Minnesota product would likely center on the type of pipe dream acquisition that probably isn’t available anyway.
3) 2024 First-Round Pick
For all the draft assets that the Maple Leafs have divested themselves of in building the current roster, they still do have their first-round pick in this summer’s draft. In fact, given the club’s uneven regular season play thus far, it could wind up slotting in a few spots higher than usual.
As is always the case when a team considers moving a high draft choice, there’s an argument to be made for sacrificing an asset that has no bearing on the current group, but also one for preserving some of your farm system while enabling the selection of a prospect that could ultimately bring value at an entry-level price. For Toronto, this is further underscored by the fact that they have none of their next three second-rounders and have already parted ways (in the Jake McCabe / Sam Lafferty trade) with their 2025 first-round pick.
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2) Nick Robertson
When you consider all the start-and-stop runs in Nick Robertson’s tenure with the Maple Leafs, it can be easy to forget that the winger is still just 22 years old. The California native has shown flashes during what has been an uneven 2023-24 campaign so far (seven goals and 14 points in 29 games), but that’s to be expected from a player so young. He has also had to make the most of limited ice time, as head coach Sheldon Keefe still hasn’t shown complete faith with an average of less than 11 minutes per game.
While some in Leafs Nation may be growing impatient with Robertson, other teams may see a player who has demonstrated the ability to score at the NHL level while still carrying plenty of potential. As a skill player on an affordable contract (he carries a $796,667 cap hit in what is his last year before restricted free agency), he offers the kind of high-end ability at a manageable cost that Toronto and every other team in the league covets.
1) Fraser Minten & Easton Cowan
Perhaps it’s their shared representation of Canada at the recent World Juniors, but it feels only natural to pair Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan together as something of a two-headed force atop the Maple Leafs’ prospect rankings.
Minten was a surprise opening night roster inclusion for Toronto and remained with the team for four games, although he didn’t record a point. From there, he was named captain of the disappointing Canadian World Junior team, tallying a goal and two assists in five games. The 19-year-old has since returned to the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he has eight goals and 18 points in 15 games with the Saskatoon Blades.
Roughly 10 months Minten’s junior, Cowan is considerably less polished at this stage than his Team Canada teammate, but likely boasts a higher ceiling. He ended the World Junior tournament with just one less point than Minten despite seeing over two minutes less of ice time per game. Playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he ranks second on the London Knights with 20 goals and 60 points in just 33 games.
The Maple Leafs still have to make a broader, over-arching decision on their approach to the trade deadline. Is it worth going all in to upgrade a roster that, at present time, appears to lag several paces behind Eastern Conference powers like the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers? That decision will come down to two major factors: how the team fares in the coming weeks and whether Treliving and company value some of these assets as trade bait or as key developmental building blocks.