Insider reports on two Leafs top trade targets as deadline looms

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Insider reports on two Toronto Maple Leafs top trade targets as deadline looms

Originally posted on Hockey Patrol | By Chris Gerics | Last updated Mar 1, 2025 10:54 AM ET

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman gave a big update regarding two massive trade targets for the Maple Leafs regarding their potential price as the trade deadline looms.

Time is ticking for Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs to make a deal, and with the pressure mounting, it's either do or die.

Will they make a big splash? Or will they make a couple of smaller deals in order to keep their future intact?

Only Brad Treliving really knows, but if they were looking at two names, then they better be willing to pay a huge price. According to Elliotte Friedman, both Brayden Schenn and Brock Nelson will be had — if the price is right.

"On a higher level are Brock Nelson and Brayden Schenn. Schenn played his 1,000th game on Thursday, and Blues GM Doug Armstrong has made it clear it’s a high price or don’t bother. I do think Toronto is weighing it, among others. Nelson is under the Lou Lamoriello Shroud of Secrecy, with teams waiting for the opportunity to make their pitch."

What could a high price be for Toronto?

Toronto will need to trade Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten

The title says it all. A premium target requires a premium asset, and Toronto has really only two. It depends on how the team wants to approach its future, however.

Would Fraser Minten make more sense to keep as an NHL-ready pure center who can make a defensive impact as his offensive game grows? Or does the excitement of Easton Cowan's potential game-breaking scoring potential bring too much optimism to just let him go?

There's no guarantee that Minten or Cowan will be successful at the NHL level, however. It's also not concrete that whoever the Leafs bring in will give them a Stanley Cup on a silver platter. It's one of the riskier deals the team has had to make in a while.

But with such a wide-open and weakened Eastern Conference, the time to win is now. With a Mitch Marner and John Tavares contract situation looming in the background, what better way to potentially end things than with a win?

It's a risk that winning teams take, and while it might sting initially to lose out on such exciting potential, raising the Cup in June is the perfect medicine for just such an occasion.

This article first appeared on Hockey Patrol and was syndicated with permission.

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