Toronto Maple Leafs Set Their Asking Prices

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have all eyes on them as the trade deadline approaches. Everyone is wondering whether they’ll become sellers. It’s difficult to believe that Toronto could go from being one of the best in the Atlantic Division to the bottom in just one season. Sadly, that’s the reality Leafs GM Brad Treliving is facing. Maple Leafs’ defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson seems to be one possible trade candidate.

Ekman-Larsson has two years remaining after this one. His yearly cap hit is $3.5 million. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Leafs this season. Compared to the expectations, Toronto would be lost without him. You have to believe Toronto could acquire the type of return that could accelerate a retool. The former Stanley Cup Champion has the qualities that some contending teams would value. However, he might not be worth the first-round pick that Leafs’ analyst Carlo Coliacovo believes he is.

It’s one thing for Leafs fans to watch Ekman-Larsson’s game and believe he’s worthy of a first-round pick. However, he’ll likely be a third-pairing defender on a contending team. The fact that Ekman-Larsson is the bright spot on the Leafs’ blueline at this point in his career only solidifies why the team is in last place in the Atlantic Division.

While he brings some depth to the blueline, contending teams will only trade away a first-round pick if the player they acquire can win them a Stanley Cup. Ekman-Larsson doesn’t move a team far enough in that direction at this point in his career.

Toronto Wants a First Round Pick for McMann

The possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs missing the playoffs is high. Missing the postseason this year would be the first time in 10 years. It will be the first time in the Auston Matthews era. They last missed the playoffs in 2016. A few weeks later, they drafted Matthews with the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

The Maple Leafs are six points back of their divisional foes, the Boston Bruins, for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Some say it’s because Toronto hasn’t figured out how to adjust to playing without Mitch Marner. Whatever the reason, the team is running out of time. According to a new report from Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs’ preference is to acquire a first-round draft pick in return for Bobby McMann if they decide to trade him.

Elliotte Friedman stated, “Toronto is looking for a first-rounder for Bobby McMann. Big and fast, I can see the possibility. One challenge for 2026: Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Minnesota, and Vegas have already traded their first-rounders. (Carolina dealt theirs, but got another one from Dallas.) Ottawa doesn’t have one, and is unlikely to get it. That limits potential partners. Tougher, but not impossible. McMann is a good player.”

Out of the teams currently in a playoff spot, the Bruins, New York Islanders, and Seattle Kraken all have two picks in the 2026 first round. The Leafs might be able to get one of those teams to part with a first for McMann. As for Ekman-Larsson, I think a second-round pick and a roster player is the most likely return.

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