The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs need an immediate boost to their roster, but they could have difficulty finding it in the trade market.
Entering this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a record of 8-9-2, and winless in their last five games (0-4-1).
While it's still early in the season, and they're within range of a wild-card berth, the rumor mill is buzzing about potential changes to the roster.
During last Thursday's Leafs Morning Take podcast, Jay Rosehill said a league source told him the Maple Leafs were trying to acquire Rasmus Anderson from the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old defenseman is eligible to become a UFA in July. He's currently earning an annual cap hit of $4.55 million.
Rosehill felt that the only way the Leafs would make that deal is if Andersson agreed to sign a contract extension. He was skeptical that they had the trade assets to entice the Flames.
Two days later, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said the Maple Leafs attempted to acquire Andersson last season but failed. He felt that the Flames' rearguard wasn't a fit for Toronto.
According to Friedman, the Leafs are not interested in parting with futures. However, if they were to revisit their interest in Andersson, the Flames' asking price could include top prospect Easton Cowan.
Friedman claimed the Leafs prefer a “roster for roster” trade, meaning they're examining players on their roster who might interest other teams, excluding their core players.
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News can see the Leafs peddling defenseman Morgan Rielly. He wondered if they might offer him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Erik Karlsson, or the New Jersey Devils for Dougie Hamilton.
The opportunity to play for a contender could entice Rielly to waive his no-movement clause. However, the better-than-expected Penguins aren't in any rush to move Karlsson, who would also have to waive his no-move clause. Meanwhile, Hamilton has stated he has no desire to leave the Devils, and the Leafs might not be on his 10-team list of preferred destinations.
Proteau suggested veterans like center Max Domi and defenseman Brandon Carlo could also be trade candidates, along with depth forwards Calle Jarnkrok, Nick Robertson, Bobby McMann and Dakota Joshua.
Assuming the Leafs can find any trade partners willing to take some of those players off their hands, they won't fetch the type of returns that could provide a significant, immediate boost to the roster.
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun recently observed that the promising Cowan and power forward Matthew Knies are the two Leafs that other clubs covet. However, they're among the least likely to be moved out of Toronto.
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