The Toronto Maple Leafs have been an interesting team so far this season. Currently sitting with a 37-17-5 record, and sitting third in the Atlantic division. They will have a very tough first-round playoff opponent no matt where they finish. These are three Toronto Maple Leafs trades that can help the Leafs make a deep playoff run.
Toronto Maple Leafs Trades That Should Happen Before the Deadline
Anton Forsberg (G), Ottawa Senators
The Leafs’ goaltending woes of late are well known. Jack Campbell hasn’t been too hot since December and battling against an injury for who knows how long. Petr Mrazek hasn’t been able to make a “big save” to save his life this season, ranking 69th of 75 goalies in high danger save percentage (with at least 200 minutes played) with 0.762. The only other options are unproven players like Erik Kallgren or Joseph Woll. The Leafs need goaltending help quickly, or the playoffs become a free first round for Tampa, Florida or Carolina.
While Matt Murray is currently injured, him finding his groove again recently means Ottawa can maybe afford to deal away from a position of strength and gain assets. The Leafs actually have a good amount of assets to offer back, with some prospects, draft picks, or even a player like Travis Dermott. The Leafs only have a couple of picks to work with this season, but have all their picks for the 2023 NHL draft. Ottawa, is, however, moving into the latter half of their rebuild, so they would likely prefer younger roster players or near NHL-ready prospects, like an Alex Steeves type player.
Forsberg has put up a great season in front of a poor defensive team like the Senators. He only makes $900,000 this season, so the Leafs wouldn’t need to include another team in the deal to retain like a Marc-Andre Fleury trade would require, and he’s only an RFA at the end of this season. He seems like an ideal target for the Leafs this deadline.
Filip Forsberg (F), Nashville Predators
The Leafs have always been known for their offence. They consistently generate a lot of quality chances and drive play offensively. However, when looking at some of their top players, like John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, all of them are below-average finishers over their careers. The Leafs could look to add a player who puts the puck in the net frequently. If Matthews were to go down in the playoffs, that’s the majority of the leafs finishing ability, so diversifying that could be of great benefit.
It wasn’t long ago that Andy Strickland reported that the Predators were actively shopping Filip Forsberg. While the Predators are currently in a playoff position, they have been trending towards a younger team. This is seen in trading players like Ryan Ellis for Philippe Myers and Cody Glass, and trading Viktor Arvidsson for draft picks. If the Predators don’t think they’ll be able to keep Forsberg past this season, perhaps they’d be willing to deal him for players like Roni Hirvonen, Nick Robertson, and Nick Abruzzese, as all are trade pieces the Leafs could give up for a rental. Forsberg could be a really good fit on this Leafs roster and could address an often overlooked need of this team.
Petr Mrazek (G), Toronto Maple Leafs
Shockingly enough, my final proposal isn’t to hunt for yet another Forsberg. The Petr Mrazek signing was one I was really excited about. I believed it to be a good signing at the time. Sometimes, even if it’s a good signing, it doesn’t work out. And that seems to be the case with the Leafs and Petr Mrazek. Mrazek had a good couple of seasons coming from a Carolina Hurricanes team which, contrary to popular belief, haven’t been all that exceptional defensively their great 2018-19 season. He looked like a good bet, especially considering what other goalies were getting in free agency. However, goaltending is an incredibly inconsistent position that is hard to predict.
While I don’t think Mrazek is this bad of a goaltender, the Leafs can’t afford to risk that. With $3,800,000 tied up for two seasons after this one, Mrazek is likely the worst contract on the team. For the Leafs, who are tight up against the cap, this isn’t something they can afford. Shipping Mrazek off to a team like the Sabres or the Coyotes who have the asset of cap space could be a possibility. They’d need to give up future assets to do so. However, it would provide the Leafs with more flexibility now and in the future.
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