As the Toronto Maple Leafs move toward the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline, it’s a good time to examine which Leafs prospects GM Brad Treliving should be prepared to part ways with as he hunts for experienced hands who can get them further in the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Fraser Minten (Luther Schlaifer-Imagn Images)

Let’s break it down in terms of untouchable prospects/youngsters, players who Toronto might consider moving for the right player, and players the Buds should be ready to deal in order to improve this season.

Untouchable

Matthew Knies, LW

Is it still accurate to call Knies a prospect? Probably not. He’s still young at 22 years old, but Knies is everything the Leafs want in a foundational piece. He’s got 22 goals and 38 points this season, and he’s earned the trust of Toronto coach Craig Berube, who is giving Knies an average of 18:20 in ice time per-game – nearly five minutes more than he was averaging last season.

Unless teams are offering a ridiculous amount of talent, there’s no way the Leafs should be trading Knies. He’s the type of power forward Toronto hasn’t had since Gary Roberts, and if an opposing GM tries to lowball Treliving for Knies, Treliving should be laughing in their face. Asking for Knies is a non-starter, and opposing teams shouldn’t really bother to inquire about landing him. Not happening.

Available In Theory, But Unlikely

Easton Cowan, LW

For his major junior hockey career, the 19-year-old Cowan has marauded over opponents, posting a combined total of 149 points in the two seasons previous to the current one. He’s having a sub-par year this season, but he still has 21 goals and 46 points in 37 games. Producing offense is in Cowan’s blood, and he’s the kind of creative wizard the Leafs value (see Mitch Marner).

Depending on the asset the Leafs are targeting, Cowan may have to be in the return in any trade. But it would take a major talent to convince the Buds to part ways with him. We can see someone like American League winger Nikita Grebenkin getting moved before Cowan, but Cowan isn’t completely out of the question as a trade candidate. That said, from this writer’s perspective, the Leafs will be hanging onto Cowan. He may be a contributing NHLer as soon as next season, and giving up on him at this point doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Ben Danford, D

Let’s face it – the Leafs haven’t been great at drafting and developing defensemen. For every Morgan Rielly, there have been many D-men who haven’t got a sniff at the NHL level. But when it comes to Danford – Toronto’s first-round draft pick last summer – there has to be some patience with him. And really, if you are trading Danford, you’re opening up a hole in your roster three or four years from now. Who would you be acquiring to cut up your long-term lineup like that? To ask the question is to answer it. Danford has to be retained until he either flames out as a prospect, or grabs an NHL job, and we’re not at that point yet.

Danford may still need another season or two to acclimate to the NHL grind, but if Leafs management is correct in their projection, Danford is going to be a key component of Toronto’s attack for many years to come. It would take one whopper of a trade offer to convince Leafs brass to move him, so we expect he remains a Leaf until further notice.

Very Likely To Be Traded

Fraser Minten, C

Don’t take this to mean we aren’t sold on Minten as a capable NHLer. In short bursts, the 20-year-old looks like he’ll eventually be ready to claim a full-time NHL job. This season, with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Minten has six goals and 13 points in 24 games. But he’s got a two-way game that makes him very appealing to Leafs management and other teams’ scouts.

That said, if the Leafs are going to deal away a prospect, we believe it will be Minten who winds up being moved. He may grow into a third-line center at the NHL level – or he may overachieve and get to the second line with a team – but the way the Leafs are constructed right now, Minten is someone Toronto could send out in a trade for a veteran who can help them win now. 

Is it possible the Leafs come to regret trading Minten? Sure it is. But you can say the same of most players you trade. Sometimes you make a mistake on players, but other times you proved to be right to send them packing for a more accomplished player. And Minten is the prospect with the best odds of being dealt. You have to give up something of value to get something of value, and Minten still has value as an above-average prospect. We believe Treliving will deal Minten, and the only question will be who the Leafs acquire in exchange for him.

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