The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a spot they haven’t been in quite some time.
With the playoffs looking unlikely at this point, the Maple Leafs could be sellers at the NHL trade deadline for the first time since 2016, the last time they missed the playoffs.
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They’ve got several unrestricted free agents, as well as a few other players who could bring value back to Toronto, whose prospect and draft cupboard is pretty bare. This is a chance to re-tool so that next season, they’re primed to get back into the playoff picture.
But who’s most likely to go? Who’s destined to be on another team in their quest for destiny later this spring?
Of the Maple Leafs’ UFAs this summer, Bobby McMann’s name seems to come up most often.
The 29-year-old is having a career season, approaching highs in goals, assists, and points. His speed, strength, and shot are also attributes that teams could value in the playoffs.
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McMann burst onto the scene in the NHL with Toronto in 2023-24. His 15 goals through 56 games had him in sixth among Maple Leafs players that year. In every season since, McMann’s game has grown more prominent, eventually landing him in an almost regular top-six role with Toronto this season.
But with how the Maple Leafs’ year has gone, they could get considerable value for McMann if they were to move him.
There have been reports that the Maple Leafs would like a first-round pick for the forward, and it would be incredible if Toronto could recuperate something like that. At the same time, though, could there be value in keeping McMann?
Report: Maple Leafs Looking For First-Round Pick For Bobby McMann
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He’s in his prime. Toronto also doesn’t have very many players behind McMann who play a similar game. It seems to be very much still in play.
At the end of it all, it depends on what McMann wants money-wise and what the Maple Leafs are willing to pay.
Nevertheless, the forward is at the top of our list for a reason: NHL teams will definitely value his services. And if you can get a first-round pick for him, who could say no to that?
At $3.5 million for two more seasons after this one, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is an attractive defenseman for teams that are pushing for the Stanley Cup.
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The 34-year-old’s eight goals and 35 points in 60 games are the most among Maple Leafs defensemen and the fifth-most on the team. Ekman-Larsson can also quarterback the power play, which he’s done plenty this season with Toronto. He’s also coming off an Olympics with Team Sweden.
Don’t forget the defenseman also won it all with the Florida Panthers in 2025.
Teams value that.
While there’ll likely be plenty of suitors inquiring about what it’ll take to acquire Ekman-Larsson, the Maple Leafs may still want to keep him. He has a 16-team no-trade list, too, so the defenseman does have a bit of say in what occurs with his future.
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Ekman-Larsson is arguably Toronto’s best defenseman. They don’t have to move him if they don’t want to. But because of the lack of assets, maybe GM Treliving looks at trading him before the deadline.
One year ago, Scott Laughton was ready for the inevitable of being traded away from the Philadelphia Flyers, the only NHL team he’s ever known.
Now, he’s facing the same reality again.
Like McMann, the veteran forward is approaching July 1 without a contract. Since being acquired by the Maple Leafs last spring for Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick, Laughton has tallied 10 goals and 16 points through 62 games.
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“I didn’t think I’d probably be in this situation,” Laughton said on Saturday, ahead of their game against the Ottawa Senators. “It’s tough to think about, but at the same time, you got to come in and do a job to the best of your ability. I want to be in the fight with these guys.”
‘It’s Tough To Think About’: Scott Laughton Addresses Trade Speculation As Maple Leafs Near NHL Trade Deadline
What teams might value with Laughton is his leadership and faceoff abilities. His 56.7 percent faceoff win percentage is among the top 20 in the NHL. Toronto could also retain some of his $3 million salary, which could entice teams even further.
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He and McMann are also candidates to be re-signed by the Maple Leafs. But what does general manager Brad Treliving value more? Getting assets, or bringing those two back on new contracts?
Toronto has three picks in this year’s draft, none of which are in the first two rounds. At some point, you’ve got to recoup some assets. Those two guys could give you the best chance at doing so.
There was chatter about trading Brandon Carlo last summer, and it appears it’s picked up again ahead of this deadline.
The positives: he’s a right-shot defenseman, big, strong, and only makes $3.485 million with the Maple Leafs. Carlo is still young, too, at 29.
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It’s clear things haven’t worked out as much as everyone hoped when the Maple Leafs acquired Carlo for Fraser Minten and a conditional 2026 first-round pick last spring. But it’s certain teams will still value the 6-foot-5 defenseman.
Maybe Toronto retains even more salary to heighten the price tag?
With how young Carlo still is, I’d bet the Maple Leafs keep him and hope for a better season next year. If that occurs, they’re in a pretty good position with a big, strong, and mobile defender who can also play big minutes on the penalty kill.
Among Toronto’s forward group, Calle Jarnkrok is the only other UFA aside from Laughton and McMann.
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Here’s the thing: if the Maple Leafs aren’t going to make the playoffs, which it seems like they won’t, every UFA should be made available. Jarnkrok has six goals and one assist in 38 games this season, which isn’t the most flattering when you look at his $2.1 million annual average value.
However, if Toronto tells teams they’d be open to retaining some of that salary, maybe a club goes for the Swede?
Jarnkrok is a strong penalty killer and can provide goals from time to time. On the other side, though, is: will he be an effective player for teams headed to the playoffs?
He hasn’t had much success with Toronto in recent years.
Either way, Toronto needs to get anything they can for the forward. If a team offers a late pick, Treliving has got to take it.
