Maple Leafs Could Be Deadline Sellers — and It May Go Deeper Than Expected

With the playoff picture growing murkier by the day, there is increasing belief around the league that the Toronto Maple Leafs could approach the trade deadline as sellers — and that would include dumping the contracts of more than just a few obvious options.

According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the most straightforward candidates are the team’s pending unrestricted free agents: Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Calle Järnkrok, and Troy Stecher. However, Siegel wonders if the sell-off could go much deeper. He believes names like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, and pending RFAs like Nick Robertson and Matias Maccelli could be in play.

---

Of the obvious group, McMann would likely generate the most interest. He’s on pace for a 25-goal season, brings speed, and fits the profile of a useful middle-six addition for a contender. He’s not an expensive contract and he could fetch the biggest return. “McMann would surely draw some interest,” writes Siegel.

The Maple Leafs will likely take a loss on Laughton, but just because Toronto won’t recoup the price paid to acquire him doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be moved.

Järnkrok and Stecher, meanwhile, would likely bring back modest returns, if anything.

Siegel did admit there was a chance Toronto could extend one or more of those players, but also noted that those decisions could come in the offseason.

What About the Less-Obvious Trade Candidates?

Where things get more complicated is beyond the obvious sell pieces. Siegel notes the Leafs could consider moving players with term remaining, including Ekman-Larsson, Benoit, and Carlo, Robertson and Maccelli. In face, he wonders if the only untouchable players may be limited to Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies. He hints even that isn’t guaranteed.

The Leafs wouldn’t be the first team to take this path. The Boston Bruins executed a deeper sell-off last spring, trading core veterans for picks and prospects. Toronto doesn’t have the same caliber of assets to deal, but even a minor sell-off could add flexibility.

The challenge for GM Brad Treliving is wrapping his head around the idea that this season is a write-off. This is a team that had no intentions of missing the playoffs and in doing so, there will be much bigger questions surrounding the roster than just trading players on expiring contracts or those who aren’t part of the core.

It will be the core that catches the most heat. Trading players like Ekman-Larsson doesn’t move the needle, but moving him would also create an immediate hole, and replacing his value at a $3.5 million cap hit won’t be easy. The same could be said for other players who aren’t being paid the big money in Toronto.

Next: William Nylander’s Press Box Gesture Has Maple Leafs Fans Fed Up