July 1 has passed, and all the big-name free agents are off the board at this point. Nonetheless, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is still searching for upgrades. The free agent market was thin to begin with, but to this point, it’s unlikely that the Leafs will find what they’re looking for in the list of UFAs. Treliving recognizes that and has admitted that he will explore the trade market instead.
“If you’re looking for a top-six forward, there wasn’t a long list of them,” Treliving said.
That’s not a terrible idea, considering Toronto has the cap space to make things work on that front. According to PuckPedia, the Maple Leafs have $4.98 million in salary cap space. That will give the team plenty of flexibility in the trade market. With that flexibility, Treliving would like to add a top-six forward.
“We would’ve liked to use (our cap space) earlier today,” Treliving told reporters on Tuesday. “If there’s not the right fit to use it on, we’ll take the flexibility right now. We’ve got lots of time in front of us before we start the season, so we’re certainly going to be looking to add,” he added.
Treliving later revealed that it makes more sense for the team to hold onto their money, rather than spending it on something that doesn’t suit their needs. “If we’ve got a box there that we call the top-six box, we’re trying to give ourselves as much flexibility rather than spending and not addressing that need,” Treliving said. “And having some flexibility if an opportunity comes up later down the road, again, whether that be trade or otherwise. And that’s probably the path right now that we’re looking more closely at.”
With this information from the Leafs’ general manager, there can be some anticipation for who Toronto could be looking to acquire sometime in the future. Here are potential top-six forward trade targets for the Maple Leafs.
Top-Six Forward Trade Candidates
Mason Marchment, Seattle Kraken
The Maple Leafs had an interest in left winger Mason Marchment in the past. Furthermore, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the team was “disappointed” that Marchment was traded to the Seattle Kraken. The former Maple Leaf has one more year left on his contract at a $4.5 million cap hit. It’s unclear what the likelihood of the Leafs landing Marchment is at this point. The Dallas Stars traded him to free up cap space in order to sign their pending UFAs. Now that he is a member of the Kraken, general manager Jason Botterill might like to keep him to help his team become more competitive.
In theory, Marchment would play the left wing on the second line for the Leafs. For the past three seasons with the Stars, he’s averaged 15:21 of ice time. With that, his best season was in 2023-24 when he scored 22 goals and 53 points in 81 games. The 30-year-old was solid last season, too. He matched his goal total from the previous campaign and recorded 47 points in 62 appearances. That would make it his best season in terms of goals and points per game average. He was on pace to score 29 goals and about 62 points if he had played the entire 82-game season.
Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames
Nazem Kadri has been deeply missed by Leafs fans ever since he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 offseason. Toronto received defenceman Tyson Barrie and center Alexander Kerfoot in return, but they never panned out. Since Treliving took the general manager job, he’s shown interest in the former Leaf. Just last year, early in the season, it was reported that Toronto “kicked tires” at acquiring the Calgary Flames center.
However, acquiring Kadri would be slightly difficult. The biggest challenge in trading for the 34-year-old is taking on his contract. Kadri has four more years on a deal worth $7 million per season. That would force Toronto to give up roster pieces to meet the cap. While it may be unlikely, the return of Kadri to Toronto would break the internet in some ways.
Pavel Zacha, Boston Bruins
Pavel Zacha is a name that isn’t talked about a ton in Toronto as a potential target. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Boston Bruins are taking calls on Zacha. The 28-year-old is fairly affordable at $4.75 million AAV for the next two seasons. In addition, he is an extremely versatile forward who can play both wings as well as centre. His best version is scoring 20 goals and putting up 50-60 points in a season.
While he’s considered to be a second-line forward, he’s a responsible player who can be leaned on. Last year with the Bruins, he finished the campaign averaging over 19 minutes per game. With that, he recorded 14 goals and 47 points on a falling Boston team. With the expectation that the Bruins will continue to fall in the standings, moving on from Zacha wouldn’t be so shocking. The only question is if the Leafs have the assets to acquire the Czech native.
Main Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
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