Could The Toronto Maple Leafs Add A Center Or Defenseman?

The Toronto Maple Leafs enter 2025 jockeying with the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. Nevertheless, some observers suggest they must fine-tune their roster before the March 7 NHL trade deadline.

In his Toronto Star column, Nick Kypreos took note of the uncertainty surrounding Auston Matthews' return to the lineup as he remains plagued by a nagging upper-body injury. He wondered if the Leafs might put their 27-year-old captain on long-term injured reserve if his condition persists to ensure he's healthy for the playoffs. In that scenario, they could use the $13.25 million in cap savings to add another top center.

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun suggested the Leafs target Brock Nelson if the New York Islanders make the pending UFA center available by the March 7 trade deadline. Simmons also suggested the Seattle Kraken's Yanni Gourde, the Philadelphia Flyers' Scott Laughton, Alexander Wennberg of the San Jose Sharks or Ryan Strome of the Anaheim Ducks as trade options.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs want to add a center signed beyond this season. That would rule out Nelson or Gourde, but Laughton, Wennberg and Strome have term remaining on their contracts.

Related: Five Maple Leafs Who Could Be Trade Options In The New Year

Blueline depth is a concern for The Athletic's Jonas Siegel. He suggests finding a suitable right-side defense partner for Morgan Rielly, which has been an ongoing issue.

The Leafs thought they had addressed that concern by signing Chris Tanev last summer. However, Siegel pointed out that meant having two left-shot blueliners on their second pairing in Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who weren't clicking.

McCabe and Tanev have since been paired, and Rielly is skating with Philippe Myers while Ekman-Larsson is sidelined day-to-day due to illness. Siegel observed Rielly and Ekman-Larsson were an awkward fit.

With McCabe and Tanev playing well, Siegel believes they must find a suitable partner for Rielly. He suggested Luke Schenn as a trade option, noting the Nashville Predators blueliner played well with Rielly during the 2023 playoffs.

The 35-year-old Schenn is signed through 2025-26 with a cap hit of $2.75 million. Siegel also suggested David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens and Cody Ceci of the San Jose Sharks.

Meanwhile, The Hockey News' Adam Proteau listed five Leafs who could become trade candidates to clear cap space to bolster the roster by deadline day. He suggested forwards Pontus Holmberg, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Nick Robertson and defenseman Conor Timmins.

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Related: Opinion: Kampf Too Pricey For Maple Leafs To Hang Onto, Which Is Why He Should Be Traded Soon