Top targets for the Maple Leafs on the Daily Faceoff trade board

The latest Daily Faceoff Trade Target list has dropped and with it the opportunity to form one last shopping list before Brad Treliving hopefully gets down to business. History has shown the Leafs aren’t last minute shoppers, usually do to the logistical needs to move salary around, so even if another list is coming, this is probably the best one for forming a Leafs target list from.

As much as it would be fun to include Mikko Rantanen and Elias Pettersson on the condensed list of options for the Leafs, neither player is feasibly an option for the Leafs unless trading Marner is something being contemplated. His assertion of staying in Toronto this year and his full no movement clause lend themselves to a good reason not to explore those interesting options for the Leafs. Check back in the summer when “Everything is on the table 2.0” is released.

Nope, here are the players that make sense as Leafs targets, grouped by the impact that would be made by bringing them into the fold.

High Impact

Ryan O’Reilly is a player that has received a lot of focus based on his near perfect to the Maple Leafs. He’s the cap and term fit. He’s the two-way option that can play up in the lineup. He knows the team and the coach. It’s just a matter of looking past his age, speed, and what the cost will be to acquire him. Regardless of this, history says that Ryan O’Reilly can help the Maple Leafs, so here he is getting mentioned again.

Bowen Byram would be a big play on defence at a time when the Leafs are expected to focus on a centre. While shifting to an offensive defenceman as a target might not be what is biggest need for the Leafs, Byram might represent the best combination of short term and long term needs being addressed and potentially could be the biggest upgrade as Byram would push one of Myers, Benoit, or Timmins out of the lineup.

Brock Nelson might be having a down year but so was Ryan O’Reilly when the Leafs acquired him a few years back. It’s entirely possible that being coached by Patrick Roy isn’t for everyone and joining the Leafs gets Nelson back to being a 30-goal calibre player that can be trusted at both ends of the ice. Given Craig Berube’s success with Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn, it’s easy to see how Nelson could also be that archetype of player that works well here.

Dylan Cozens is a lot like his teammate Bowen Byram in that his youth and long term benefit add appeal to what would also involve a short term boost. Cozens is expensive and a fair bit of work for Brandon Pridham but he’s unquestionably an upgrade even if he might not be the perfect short term fit.

Brayden Schenn is a new addition to the Daily Faceoff list and while he has certainly been discussed in relation to being a potential Leafs’ target, the price is on the scary side. A lot of the appeal that Ryan O’Reilly has also exists in Brayden Schenn, and it is possible that Craig Berube holds him in a higher regard than O’Reilly as well and that is why the work is being put in here by Brad Treliving.

Medium Impact

Jake Evans is likely going to cost a 2nd round pick to acquire. If it was that price for the Maple Leafs there are plenty of reasons to ask why he’s not in Toronto already. It’s likely that dealing Evans to a forever rival within the division and to a team with a high likelihood of re-signing Evans is going to cost Toronto a bit more, but Evans absolutely fits for what Toronto would want in their bottom six. The drawback would be if the Leafs wanted him to play up in the lineup.

Scott Laughton might be the safety school of the list of available centres. We’ve already heard Darren Dreger speak about the Leafs’ interest in Laughton but it sounded very much like he was the afterthought behind Brayden Schenn in that scenario. Doubling back on Laughton might be the plan even if the price seems a little too high. If the Leafs were willing to pay a first for Laughton, he very well could be a Leaf already, but it seems likely Brad Treliving is either saving his best assets for something bigger or wanting to move on some prospects from the previous front office that he might not be as enamoured with.

Connor Murphy looks like a potential fit beside Morgan Rielly and can comfortably slide into one of the Leafs’ top four defensive spots. His right shot has appeal, his physicality fits with the club’s direction, but his $4.4M cap hit might be tough to pull off when defence isn’t the priority this deadline.

J-G Pageau is a solid third line option that might not be the most exciting option but potentially one of the safer ones. With a contract for next season he also gives the Leafs a buffer of not having to go through this next season while potentially Fraser Minten gets the chance to develop as his replacement. If you look at the Islanders situation, the idea of ditching a commitment for next year is potentially a plus as they’ve got some overhauling to do, and Pageau might not cost as much asset wise as some of the other centre options.

Yanni Gourde with salary retention is pretty much in the same ballpark as Jake Evans minus the ‘Toronto boy comes home’ story. Gourde is absolutely a trustworthy rental in the 3C spot but not necessarily someone who moves up the lineup. Gourde’s size is a bit of a drawback as is his recent sports hernia surgery but nevertheless he’s an option the Leafs will strongly be considering and absolutely falls into the upgrade category.

A good gamble

Trent Frederic‘s injury status likely won’t slow interest in him too much. He’s shown glimpses of being offensively capable and checks a lot of the physicality boxes that Brad Treliving prioritizes. He’s not a play driver so if the Leafs were to look at him as an option they would need to have a strong idea of who they want to play with him otherwise he could be reduced to a fourth line checking role between Lorentz and Dewar pretty quickly.

Ryan Donato is having a strong season offensively in Chicago and that does make him a low cost target worth considering. The question that needs to be asked is if he’s scoring because he’s playing with better players (the answer is almost certainly yes), and does he have the all-round game to comfortably slot in as a third line centre (maybe not.) Donato might be a good safety net if Matthews or Tavares are injured but could leave something to be desired as an every night 3C and could be more of the same as what Toronto has in Max Domi.

Carson Soucy/Jamie Oleksiak/Brian Dumoulin all fit a 4/5D defenceman description with Oleksiak probably being most in-line with what Toronto would want and Dumoulin being the most comfortable in that top four role. All three are a left shot which isn’t the Leafs priority, and all three are minimal upgrades on Oliver Ekman-Larsson or players you would put in that same tier. The last one available at the 11th hour of the trade deadline might be the best option or if the prices are set low enough, any of these players would notably upgrade the Leafs from Benoit, Myers, Timmins, and Hakanpaa, who the Leafs should actively be trying to rely on less.