Maple Leafs narrow down list of center trade targets

With the trade deadline less than a month away, GM Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs are under pressure to make a trade to improve their forward depth.

Linked to several names such as Brock Nelson ($6.5M ), Ryan O'Reilly ($4.5M), Jake Evans ( $1.7M) and Brayden Schenn ($6.5M), it's obvious Toronto is in the market for an impact player.

So, with Toronto having its list narrowed down, it begs the question: Who are the Maple Leafs targeting?

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Targets: Top 3

Arguably, Toronto needs more than just a center but let's focus on a pivot for now.

Three names who could be a massive target on the cheap for Toronto could be Evans, Scott Laughton and Ryan Donato.

Let's take a look at what each player offers.

Jake Evans

The 28-year-old Evans is probably the cheapest option on the market, and given that he and Montreal are far off on extension talks — he could be a perfect addition.

This season, he has 11 goals and 16 assists in 56 games for the Montreal Canadiens. Besides his offensive game, he can help out on defense, too.

He wins over 50 percent of his face-offs, plays solid defense down the middle, has good possession numbers and can play both the penalty kill and the power play (on the second unit).

Evans would be able to fit on that third line with Bobby McMann and create a solid one-two punch.

The issue is that Montreal may not want to trade within the division, especially with its most heated rival, although the teams have come together in the past.

Scott Laughton

A lot of talk has linked Laughton to the Maple Leafs in recent days, and he would fit in just as well as Evans but has a lot more experience and is much more well-rounded.

Though he's struggled a bit defensively this season, a lot of that has to do with how brutal Philadelphia's defense and goaltending has been.

This season, Laughton, 30, has 11 goals and 15 assists but also adds 113 hits, which would rank him only behind Steven Lorentz and Matthew Knies on the Maple Leafs.

He can play the penalty kill on the wing with David Kampf, or anchor the second unit if head coach Craig Berube wants to spread things out, and offers a pretty steady stream of short-handed chances.

Reasonably cheap, too, he only costs $3M for this season and the next. If he plays well enough with Toronto — a contract extension won't hurt too badly once the new cap kicks in.

Ryan Donato

What a week it's been for Donato. Since being linked heavily in trade talks, the forward has been on a tear.

With eight points in his last four games, including a four-point outburst against Nashville, Donato's looking like he's trying to raise his trade value.

Donato , 28, has 19 goals and 18 assists in 53 games with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Those types of numbers would put him near the top of the Maple Leafs' scoring leaders and his ability to win face-offs and still be able to be sound defensively with such a struggling team is a testament to his ability.

Able to fit into either Toronto's second or third line, he would be able to swap in and out with John Tavares, depending on how Berube wants to spread his lineup out.

Tavares could be the spark the third line needs since Donato can hold it down.

He's also only $2M against the cap and he's a free agent at the end of the season. Toronto can easily part with its second-round pick in 2025 for a chance to get a reliable and cheap center.