As the 2016 NHL trade deadline approaches, hockey’s thirty teams are beginning to feed the hockey rumor mill with an excess of trade talk. The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of these teams. Toronto, due to the fact that they are going through a rebuild, have opened up shop to their fellow competitors. Unlike other clubs, however, the Leafs shop is stocked full of valuable trade pieces that will likely be cleared out by February 29, 2016.
Maple Leafs Look to Sell at Trade Deadline
The 2015 off-season provided the Toronto Maple Leafs with a golden opportunity to load up on temporary players and prospects that have the potential to be thrown into a trade at any given moment. Brendan Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello have done an excellent job in signing players to temporary deals in an attempt to increase their trade value by playing them every night.
Toronto will be the one of the league’s top sellers at the trade deadline, and will be gunning for draft picks, as well as a franchise player that can be signed to a long-term deal. If the Maple Leafs head office plays their cards right, Toronto could be well on their way towards stage two of a long-term rebuild process by the end of the season.
Written below is a list of current Leafs players that are most likely to be traded by the trade deadline.
- Roman Polak (UFA)
- Rich Clune
- Michael Grabner
- Frank Corrado
- Jake Gardiner
- Nick Spaling (UFA)
- Brad Boyes
- P.A. Parenteau (UFA)
- Mark Arcobello (UFA)
- T.J. Brennan (UFA)
- Shawn Matthias (UFA)
The Leafs currently have seven players on their roster that will be unrestricted free agents by the end of the season, which has immediately singled them out as potential pawns for future trades.
Boyes, Clune, Gardiner, Corrado, and Grabner are also listed, due to the fact that they are players that could draw substantial attention from other teams, as well as the fact that they still have existing contracts with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Throwing either of these players into a trade could increase the value, and could also help the Leafs acquire a higher draft pick. UFA’s such as P.A. Parenteau and Roman Polak have also been known to draw interest from other clubs.
Toronto’s grey area lies within their crease. James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier have spent a reasonable amount of time within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, but it is evident that one, or both, of these goaltenders will be gone by the trade deadline. Reimer will be an outstanding UFA after this year, and his trade value will only increase as long as he remains as the Leafs starter until March 2.
Bernier, however, has seen his value as an NHL goaltender decrease under the shadow of a horrific start to the season. After being sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint with the Marlies, many Leafs fans are left wondering where their former number one goalie will end up. Inevitably, both Bernier and Reimer will provoke a decent amount of trade talks due to the league’s shortage of skilled goaltenders.
There are numerous players that will be dwelling in the depths of free agency by the time the trade deadline rolls around, so the Toronto Maple Leafs will have a lot of potential to choose from. In order to move forward in their rebuild process, Brendan Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello will have to do what’s best for the Leafs future on the 2016 NHL trade deadline.
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