Maple Leafs eyeing affordable centre ahead of trade deadline
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With the NHL's March 7 trade deadline now less than two months away, the rumour mill is starting to pick up. The Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs appear interested in adding some help down the middle, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.
During Tuesday's edition of Insider Trading, Dreger noted that the Maple Leafs would not be in the running for potential high-end trade candidates such as Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks or Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers, but could be looking to add help at centre.
"Brock Nelson is interesting from the New York Islanders. There are a lot of teams that have interest in him. So, I think the group that the Toronto Maple Leafs have identified as a little bit more diverse, I think you’re looking at Ryan Strome, maybe Ryan O’Reilly – how about a return there from Nashville? Scott Laughton is out there again, but the Flyers want a first-round draft pick in return, so maybe that’s a stretch," Dreger said on Insider Trading. "Mikael Granlund’s name is out there. Yanni Gourde. Nick Bjugstad. I’ll tell you this: Brad Treliving’s whiteboard is probably jammed with more affordable centres.”
Nelson, 33, has 10 goals and 11 assists in 40 game for the Islanders this season while the 31-year-old Strome has seven goals and 16 assists across 40 games for the Anaheim Ducks.
O'Reilly, who played 24 games for the Maple Leafs in 2023, including 11 playoff games, has tallied 12 goals and 13 assists over 38 games with the Nashville Predators in 2024-25.
Flyers centre Laughton has spent his entire 12-year career in Philadelphia and has nine goals with 13 assists in 41 games this season.
Granlund, 32, has 11 goals and 24 assists in 41 games for the San Jose Sharks while Gourde, 33, has tallied six goals and 10 assists in 35 games for the Seattle Kraken.
Bjugstad, 32, has scored four times and added six assists across 31 games for the Utah Hockey Club.
The Maple Leafs have dealt with injuries to their centres all season long, including captain Auston Matthews, Max Domi, and David Kampf.
Winners of five straight games, the Maple Leafs are one of the hottest teams in the NHL and hold a six-point lead over the Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division with a 26-13-2 record. They are tied with the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild for the third most points in the NHL with 56.