Trade Pitch has Maple Leafs Acquiring $30 Million Center, Defenseman in Blockbuster

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Trade pitch has Maple Leafs acquiring JG Pageau.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the top teams in the NHL and will be active ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquiring Jean-Gabriel Pageau and a defenseman in a blockbuster deal with the New York Islanders.

Maple Leafs acquire:

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau
• Scott Mayfield

Islanders acquire:

• Nick Robertson
• Jani Hakanpaa
• 2027 first-round pick
• 2027 fourth-round pick

The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto would acquire Pageau and Mayfield for two NHL players and two draft picks, including a first-round pick.

Pageau is in the fifth year of his six-year $30 million deal and can be Toronto’s third-line center which is a position of need. Pageau has skated in 43 games recording 9 goals and 13 assists for 22 points. He can play solid defense and chip in offensively.

Mayfield, meanwhile, would bolster Toronto’s blue line. He’s in the second year of his seven-year $24.5 million deal with the Islanders. He could play on Toronto’s second-pairing and be a shutdown defender. He’s recorded 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points in 45 games.

The big part of the return would be the draft picks, while Robertson could be a key part of an Islanders rebuild. The former second-round pick is in need of a change of scenery as he’s skated in 40 games recording 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points.

Hakanpaa, meanwhile, dealt with injuries this season and would replace Mayfield on the Islanders’ blue line before hitting free agency.

Maple Leafs Looking to Add a Third-Line Center

Toronto needs help at center, especially with the injury to John Tavares.

Ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving says adding a center behind Auston Matthews and Tavares would be something he’s looking to do.

“How can you talk anything but positively of the year John’s had, right?” Treliving said. “So to say you’re going to go and get somebody above that, I don’t think that’s realistic. Is there ways that we can continue to look at adding to that? Sure. Sure, it’s one. But we, probably along with 15 or 18 other teams, would like to add center depth. So, it seems to be a position du jour.”

Although Treliving says he would like to add a center, he also is comfortable with the depth the team has.

“We’ve seen some guys come up and play well. It gives you a little insight into what you have within the organization. Guys get put into different roles. Guys from the Marlies come up,” Treliving said Monday at the club’s practice facility. I think we got (center) depth. Got lots of guys that can play the position. Is it an area that we continue to try to upgrade?”

Toronto is 30-16-2 and atop the Atlantic Division.

Islanders Checking in on Players Ahead of Deadline

Although New York is outside a playoff spot the team could be aggressive ahead of the deadline.

According to Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News, the Islanders have checked in on J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks.

“Per industry sources, the Islanders still have tremendous interest in Pettersson,” Rosner wrote.

Canucks reporter, Rick Dhaliwal, meanwhile, also reported the Islanders have “poked around” on the 31-year-old, who is in the second season of a seven-year deal worth $8 million.

The Islanders are 19-20-7.