After a defenceman (or two), what the Toronto Maple Leafs need to acquire most ahead of the March 8 trade deadline is another centre.
Someone to line up behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares and bump Max Domi back to the wing. And while there’s no Ryan O’Reilly out there to be had, a former Conn Smythe and Selke Trophy winner that is, there are some names who could be available that would help the Leafs.
We’ll rank them based on a combination of fit and acquisition cost. (We’ll also consider a few winger possibilities in the event that a centre is unattainable. The Leafs could use more scoring and/or defensive dependability up front.)
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I hope they don’t do much at the deadline. The prospect pool is among the worst in the league, and they have already traded a lot of their upcoming draft pics. They may not even make the playoffs this year, and if they do, they will be facing a top team and likely lose (even with additions). I don’t think it is worth making the future even worse.
Also, I don’t really trust Treliving, but that is another story. Of all the off season moves, only the Benoit one I would rate above average.