The Toronto Maple Leafs are at the top of trade speculation food chain with just under three weeks to go until the trade deadline in the wake of GM Kyle Dubas comments that the club would be aggressive and willing to trade top prospects to upgrade their roster before April 12th, but the names being chattered about seem to be disconnected from the real needs of the club going into a playoffs.
The most mentioned name has been Nashville forward Mikael Granlund, who TSN’s Frank Seravalli believes is the Leafs main target. Granlund is someone that Toronto explored signing last October, but he chose to re-sign in Music City on a one-year deal.
The 29-year-old has 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in 29 games and has the skill to play on the left side with John Tavares and William Nylander, but Seravalli indicated that Nashville GM David Poile may be having doubts about being a seller, since the Preds are just four points behind fourth place Chicago in the Central Division.
The 5’10” 185 lb. forward does not seem to be a good fit for the Leafs needs, which is a forward with size to combat bigger clubs like Montreal and Winnipeg inside their division and if Nashville continues to have cold feet about selling off rentals and possibly defenseman Mattias Ekholm, Dubas may explore other options.
The other name being uttered is Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who has lost his starting job to Cal Petersen in Los Angeles. This speculation is tied to the recent poor play of Leafs starter Frederik Andersen, who did not practice at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, ON on Wednesday prior to the club departing for Ottawa to face the Senators on Thursday.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Andersen will not be available for seven-to-10 days, which means that Jack Campbell will get the start on Thursday and most of them in the foreseeable future.
Even if Andersen’s injury was more serious than day-to-day, Quick would be a terrible option for Toronto. The 35-year-old has two more years under contract at a higher cap hit ($5.8 million) than the Leafs starter and is nowhere close to being the goalie who won two Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe last decade.
Los Angeles may be willing to retain some money to move Quick, because buying him out after this season would not constitute a great savings on the salary cap, but even at 50% of his salary, the veteran netminder would not be a good fit.
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The Leafs will be getting some reinforcements back from Europe in the form of center Semyon Der-Argushintsev (currently in quarantine), Filip Hallander, and Denis Malgin (still playing), but it does not appear that 2020 first rounder Rodion Amirov will be making his North American debut anytime soon.
— National League & Swiss League (@NLSLOfficial) March 22, 2021
Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reported on Wednesday that the 19-year-old completed his KHL season with Ufa (eliminated in second round of the Gagarin Cup Playoffs by Ak Bars Kazan), but agent Daniel Milstein indicated there's nothing to report about the winger possibly coming over to Toronto to train or play with the AHL Marlies,
Amirov had 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists ) in 39 KHL games this season after performing well at the 2021 World Junior in Edmonton, but has not signed his entry-level contract with Toronto to this point,
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