6 Maple Leafs’ trade targets as talks intensify

The Toronto Maple Leafs could use a roster shakeup, and according to recent reports, general manager Brad Treliving is working the phones.

Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reported last weekend that Treliving is looking to make a ‘hockey trade’, which means NHL roster player for NHL roster player. The Leafs Nation’s Michael Mazzei highlighted on Monday three Maple Leafs who make sense as trade chips Treliving could be dangling, and they included defencemen Brandon Carlo and Simon Benoit, and forward Max Domi.

The Maple Leafs have limited cap space at the moment, so any deal will have to be balanced financially. There’s also the fact that Treliving dealt a first-round pick and top prospect in Fraser Minten for Carlo, so he won’t be looking to ship Carlo out of town for nothing less than an experienced middle-six forward, or a top-four defenceman. Benoit and Domi haven’t blown the doors off anybody the past two seasons as Maple Leafs, so if these three are who is being discussed, there’s no doubt Treliving is handcuffed by a lack of trade assets organizationally. The Leafs’ GM will likely have to get creative with a packaged deal to entice some of his colleagues.

With all this in mind, here’s six potential trade targets for Treliving to consider:

Michael Bunting

Could a familiar face in the dressing room spark some more swagger for a team seriously lacking confidence? Bunting knows what it’s like to play in Toronto, his in-your-face style would appeal to Craig Berube, and he’s versatile to play on either wing, and throughout the top nine.

Bunting is owed $4.5 million this season and is a pending unrestricted free agent. He does not have any trade protection and is currently on a Nashville Predators team who appear set for a fire sale ahead of the trade deadline. At 30 years old, there’s still plenty left in the tank for Bunting, and he’ll be motivated to have a strong season, and land a long-term contract extension. His best two seasons of his career came playing alongside Auston Matthews, so there’s certainly some enticement to consider.

The strange part to Bunting’s game is the fact he’s only landed seven hits in 20 games this season, which won’t be near enough for Berube’s structure, but a change of scenery, and a spark of emotion could easily increase that number in short order. Bunting’s scored 10 points in 20 games this season for a Preds team that has a terrible time creating offense.

Bunting’s teammates Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg would both look great in blue and white, however, both have no-movement clauses and don’t appear to be likely Leafs’ candidates at this point. Ryan O’Reilly could be dealt from Nashville, but GM Barry Trotz is well aware that O’Reilly has a return to Toronto at the bottom of his wish list. While he isn’t the perfect trade candidate by any means, if the Predators are looking to deal, Bunting to the Maple Leafs could make some sense for both sides.

Alexander Wennberg

The San Jose Sharks are exceeding expectations so far this season, but their team still has plenty of holes, and won’t be pushing to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. They could have interest in selling off some of their pending free-agents, and Wennberg could help solidify some more depth down the middle of the ice in Toronto.

The 31-year-old native of Stockholm, Sweden is owed  $5 million this season, and has a 15-team no-trade clause to consider here, however, if Treliving was to mention he’d play alongside fellow countrymen William Nylander, perhaps that could appeal to the veteran centre. This could also allow for Berube to get creative with his top six if the team was to add another centre to the mix.

Wennberg does a little bit of everything. He gets minutes as a depth power-play option, and on the penalty kill. He’s not going to light up the scoresheet or smash defencemen through the boards, but he’s defensively sound, and can play in all situations. He’s essentially what the Leafs were hoping Max Domi would turn into, but Domi hasn’t found his footing at all in Toronto, and could use a change of scenery. Perhaps a one-for-one swap here is something both GM’s consider?

Brayden Schenn

Remember me? Schenn was the hot topic of discussion leading up to the trade deadline last season and while the Maple Leafs had interest, the Blues decided to keep their captain. Now 19 games into this season, the Blues are near the bottom of the Western Conference, and could have more willingness to shake things up. The only problem is, what exactly the Maple Leafs could offer for Schenn, while keeping Easton Cowan in the organization.

Schenn has just two goals in 19 games, so he screams a need for a change of scenery, which means his trade value isn’t nearly as high as it was at this time last season. Could it be enough for Treliving to pounce?

While the Blues and Maple Leafs align as trade partners considering they’re both in need of shakeups, they’re in separate conferences, and have some pieces which make sense for the opposing team, landing on the perfect combination for the deal won’t be easy.

Blake Coleman

The ‘Treliving Tax’ is real, so if the Flames make any moves with the Maple Leafs, Toronto will have to overpay. There’s also the fact while the Flames are struggling, and appear to be headed for the NHL Draft lottery in 2026, ownership is torn on a complete fire sale because they have a new arena coming in two years and want to be competitive.

Yes, Nazem Kadri’s name has floated around for a few weeks now, but what about Coleman? The 33-year-old winger has one season left on his deal at $4.9 million AAV, he owns a 10-team trade list, and he consistently plays hard, while providing secondary scoring.

Through 20 games this season, he’s scored seven times on a team that has had serious issues generating any offense. Coleman can play top-nine minutes, in all situations, and he’s not afraid to play a hardnosed game, which Berube would love more of. The fact he has two Stanley Cups rings on his mantle doesn’t hurt either.

While he came up as a centre, Coleman’s been used mostly on the wing recently throughout his career, but moving him down the middle could be an option if the Leafs were in a pinch. Word is while Rasmus Andersson and Kadri have garnered the most media attention as far as trade candidates out of Calgary, Coleman’s the player the most teams are calling about. Considering the full tool box, there’s a lot to like about his game. It just all comes down to how much Flames’ ownership is willing, if at all, to deal with Treliving.

Justin Faulk

If the Blues are going to blow things up, Faulk could be available at a reasonable price. Hockey insider David Pagnotta recently mentioned on The Sheet with Jeff Marek that he feels Treliving is going after a top-six forward, and a top-four defenceman. Faulk would be an upgrade for the Leafs’ top two pairs.

The 33-year-old right-handed blueliner is 33, however, he’d immediately become the Leafs’ power-play quarterback, and be a massive upgrade over all their other options. Faulk has one season left on his contract at $6.5 million AAV, and does hold a 15-team no-trade clause, so it would be interesting to see if playing in the media circus in Toronto would be on his no-fly list.

Faulk’s a minutes eater, he’s got a booming shot, he can make the first pass, and his offensive instincts would be something this Leafs team hasn’t seen in years from a mobile defenceman. He’s a bit of a flight risk just based on the fact he’s missed some time due to injury the last few seasons, and his production has dipped from being a 50-point player, to around the 30 mark, but a change of scenery can do magical things.

Rasmus Andersson

Adding Andersson to the list seems like a no brainer, just considering all the speculation about trade talks occurring over the last few weeks. Andersson is a pending free agent, making $4.5 million AAV this season, and he does own a six-team no-trade list.

Andersson isn’t elite in any area of the game, but he’s almost like a ‘Jack-of-all-trades’ on the back end, as he’s capable of playing heavy minutes, and just about in any role. His 11 goals last season were a career high, and he does have a 50-point season under his belt. He also blocks a ton of shots which Berube loves, and he can slot in on the Leafs top power-play unit, and top penalty kill. There’s certainly a fit there, let’s put it that way.

The only massive hurdle in any deal with the Flames, as mentioned, is the relationship with Treliving, and the fact that Flames’ GM Craig Conroy is going to ask for the moon when it comes to the return in the deal. Dreger mentioned he’d expect the Flames to ask for Matthew Knies, which would be the shortest phone call in trade-talk history. One of Domi or Carlo and prospect Ben Danford seem more attainable from Conroy’s end of the bargain.

Another issue here is the fact everyone in the league knows the Flames are sellers, and Conroy is going to wait this out to drive up the asking price, meanwhile, Treliving doesn’t have time to wait. The Leafs need to make changes, and soon, or this season is going to quickly slip away from them. You can’t make the playoffs at the end of November, but you can certainly set yourself up to miss them.

Keep an eye on Treliving over the next week to 10 days. Several hockey insiders have stated the Maple Leafs are knee deep in trade talks, and some significant changes could be coming in Toronto, not even two months into the season.