McMann, Laughton among flurry of Maple Leafs on latest Daily Faceoff Trade Board

As the Eastern Conference standings continue to slip away from them, it’s looking more and more likely that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be sellers at the deadline this year. If they decide to go that route, there’s a whole lot GM Brad Treliving can put on the market.

On Tuesday, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin published the latest edition of his NHL Trade Board, divided into four tiers of players most likely to be moved at the deadline. Landing in the top tier of “Obvious trade candidates” from the Maple Leafs are Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Brandon Carlo, and Simon Benoit.

McMann is the highest Leaf on the board. The winger has become a key part of Toronto’s top-six, and now has 18 goals and 31 points in 55 games, on pace to trounce his previous career highs of 20 goals and 34 points set last year. On McMann, Larkin writes:

I can understand if some Leaf fans feel trepidation over the idea of cashing out McMann. A tenacious, late-blooming left winger going to market at 29 years old sounds a lot like Zach Hyman. But Hyman’s career trajectory is the exception, not the norm. McMann is likely close to his peak value and could return a second- or even first-round pick given his unique size/speed package.

Considering the Maple Leafs’ lack of draft capital, a first-round pick would be a big acquisition, and McMann may be their best chance at getting one.

Laughton and Carlo are two interesting names, because they both joined the Maple Leafs at last year’s deadline. Laughton is clearly a favourite amongst fans and teammates alike, bringing energy, passion, and leadership nightly. Considering his contract expires at the end of this season, he could help shore up another team’s bottom-six short-term while keeping his future in his hands. Carlo has not been as productive for the Leafs this season, drawing criticism for his acquisition, which saw the loss of this year’s first-round pick (top-5 protected) and prospect Fraser Minten, who is now finding his game with the Boston Bruins. On Carlo, Larkin writes:

Still just 29, he could return to form in the right situation, and his AAV remains a bargain. He seemingly fit a need for the Leafs a year ago, but now they’re big, slow and redundant on ‘D.’ They won’t get the equivalent of Fraser Minten and a first-round pick for Carlo, but maybe they can recoup the pick portion of that package somewhere.

Simon Benoit rounds out the obvious candidates for Toronto. With a low cap hit, Larkin believes the 27-year-old could go for a “high mid-round pick.”

Treliving’s plans for the deadline are still unclear, and with that in mind, the rest of Larkin’s list is mostly speculative. Tier 2 of the trade board is dubbed “Names to keep an eye on,” and includes Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Nick Robertson, Max Domi, Matias Maccelli, Anthony Stolarz, and Calle Järnkrok.

Ekman-Larsson is still playing great hockey for the Leafs at a good value, and Larkin suggests you only trade him if you’re going for a full rebuild. Stolarz is an interesting one, because the Leafs are starting to have a logjam in between the pipes, but Stolarz has looked poor this season and his value is down.

Tier 3 is titled “Big names, blockbuster potential, but too soon,” and includes Morgan Rielly. The veteran defenceman could reap a big return for Toronto, but considering the term on his contract and his desire to stay in the city, Larkin says to “put a pin in this idea, perhaps until the summer.” The final tier is for theoretical trade chips, and includes Maple Leafs waiver wire acquisition Troy Stecher.

Give us your thoughts, who would you like to see the Maple Leafs move at this year’s deadline?