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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the best teams in the NHL right now. They are also heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2023. The Leafs have been very busy adding pieces to their roster as the trade deadline approaches this Friday.
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In order to make a deep playoff run, Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is unwilling to make any compromises that could impact the team's performance. They are still looking for a defenseman to round out their roster before heading to the playoffs.
To keep a healthy cap space and add a few more pieces, the Leafs will need to get rid of a couple of players before Friday. According to NHL Trade Rumors, the Leafs are considering trading forwards Pierre Engvall and Alexander Kerfoot.
Who should the Leafs consider adding to their blue line?
The Washington Capitals have been active sellers this trade deadline. The Capitals still have impeding players on their roster, such as defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Riemsdyk is an experienced defenseman who can provide great depth to the Leafs' blue line. On top of that, he also has an affordable salary cap hit of $950,000, which the club would have little trouble spending on his services.
Luke Schenn, another impending free agent, is another defenseman on the market right now. The Maple Leafs have also been linked to the Canucks in their pursuit of Schenn. He has an $850,000 salary cap hit, which will not be a significant issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The two players are also on the radar of other clubs.
The trade deadline is Friday at 3 pm ET.
Toronto Maple Leafs trade activities thus far
On Feb. 17, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the first of three three-team trades, acquiring Noel Acciari (F) and Ryan O'Reilly (F) from the St. Louis Blues.
The St. Louis Blues received Mikhail Abramov (F), Adam Gaudette (F), the Leafs' first-round pick in 2023, Ottawa's second-round pick in 2023, and the Leafs' second-round pick in 2024.
The Minnesota Wild received the Leafs' fourth-round pick in 2025.
On Feb. 27, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jake McCabe (D) and Sam Lafferty (F) and received conditional fifth-round 2024 and 2025 picks from the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Chicago Blackhawks received Joey Anderson (F), Pavel Gogolev (LW), a Leafs conditional first-round pick in 2025, and the Leafs' second-round pick in 2026.
