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Trade Deadline Targets – Wing; Leafs vs. Bruins

January 14, 2023, 4:54 PM ET [316 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be involved and interested in adding a player or two at the NHL Trade Deadline in just under two months, but will have to manage a tight squeeze up against the salary cap, even with veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin likely remaining on long-term injured reserve the rest of the season.

The Leafs currently have just under $2 million in available cap space, and according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, may still dabble in the available defensive market, but unless Toronto trades off one of their own rentals, GM Kyle Dubas will be limited in how much a potential blueline acquisition makes if he also intends to add a top-nine forward.

Dubas, Team President Brendan Shanahan, Jason Spezza, and the club’s scouting staff held meetings in Philadelphia over the weekend to plot strategy and target potential acquisitions last week, and odds are that the main target has shifted since the Muzzin injury to a top six or top nine wingers since blueliners like Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins filled in so admirably.

Currently, Calle Jarnkrok is slotting in on the left side on the second line alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner, but the veteran winger is thought to be a better fit as a third-line checker with the likes of Pierre Engvall, David Kampf, and/or Alex Kerfoot. Ideally, Dubas would have liked a long period to evaluate if youngster Nick Robertson could play a primary scoring role, but the 21-year-old is expected to be out until after the All-Star break with a shoulder injury.

Top prospect Matthew Knies may eventually fill a top six spot, but the big winger might not be available to join the Leafs until after the Frozen Four in early April, and it would be unrealistic to expect the 20-year-old to step into the NHL right before the playoffs.

Here are seven potential winger trade targets for the Leafs before March 3:



Andrei Kuzmenko (Vancouver Canucks)
Salary - $950,000
Contract Status – signed through 2022-23, UFA


The former KHLer has been a home run for the Canucks, scoring nearly a point-per-game (17 goals, 19 assists in 40 games), but after signing a one-year ELC, the 26-year-old is rumored to be looking for a new contract around $6 million per season, which Vancouver may not be able to afford. With a $950,000 AAV, Kuzmenko will likely be the target for every contender tight against the cap looking for a scorer if GM Patrik Allvin shops him before the deadline.


Maxime Comtois (Anaheim Ducks)
Salary - $2.037 million
Contract Status – signed through 2022-23, RFA with arbitration rights


A big physical winger that the Leafs need in a big way, Comtois led the Ducks in scoring in the shortened 2021 season with 16 goals but has struggled the last two years. Only 24 years old, Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek might want to move Comtois before having to give him a qualifying offer, and Dubas might be willing to roll the dice on him if the price is reasonable.


Max Domi (Chicago Blackhawks)
Salary - $3 million
Contract Status – signed through 2022-23, UFA


Domi’s bloodlines and connection to the Leafs are obvious, but his bounce-back offensive year in Chicago and ability to play with skill make him a good fit. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that there is mutual interest regarding Domi re-signing with the Hawks, but that does not prevent GM Kyle Davidson from dealing him at the deadline and bringing him back in the summer. Toronto likely could not make trading for Patrick Kane and his $10.5 million salary work but could fit Domi’s $3 million cap hit.


Tyler Bertuzzi (Detroit Red Wings
Salary - $4.75 million
Contract Status – signed through 2022-23, UFA


Ability is not the issue for Bertuzzi, it is availability. The 27-year-old plays a crash-and-bang style and has the skill to play in the top six, but has had numerous injuries over the last few seasons, including two hand injuries this season. The Leafs have long been rumored to have interest in him, but the cost if the Wings make him available could be as much as a first-round pick and prospect.


Timo Meier (San Jose Sharks)
Salary - $6 million
Contract Status – signed through 2022-23, RFA with arbitration rights


A big-bodied power forward, Meier scored a career-high 35 goals last season and is on pace to exceed 40 goals this season with a bad Sharks team. The 26-year-old’s contract situation is complicated, with a qualifying offer of $10 million this summer hanging over any club that has him. Some clubs might consider Meier a rental that they could deal to recoup some of their assets after the season, and that scenario could intrigue the Leafs.


James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia Flyers)
Salary - $7 million
Contract Status – signed through 2022-23, UFA


Being able to play under the spotlight in Toronto is something that would not be a concern for the former Leafs, having played six seasons in Blue and White, and even though the big winger has slowed slightly, JVR can still score and is better defensively than in days with Toronto. Philadelphia would have to retain 50% to make any return to the Leafs possible, but it sounds like the Flyers would be willing to do that to get any return for the 33-year-old.


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The Leafs take on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday. The Bruins lead the NHL with 68 points, but their consecutive home points streak was ended by Seattle on Saturday, as the Kraken shutout Boston 3-0.

Auston Matthews skated with regular linemates William Nylander and Michael Bunting at the morning skate in Boston on Saturday. Pontus Holmberg was not on the ice with the club and could be a scratch, and it is expected that Matt Murray will be in goal for Toronto.


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