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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in their Stanley Cup window and one trade pitch has them acquiring a star forward.
The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquiring Anders Lee from the New York Islanders.
Maple Leafs acquire:
- Anders Lee ($2 million retained)
Islanders acquire:
- David Kampf
- Nick Robertson
- 2026 first-round pick
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto acquires Lee for two NHL players and a first-round pick in a blockbuster deal.
Lee is in the sixth year of a seven-year $49 million deal. The star forward is the Islanders captain and would bolster the Maple Leafs offense as he would be a top-six forward. Lee has skated in 25 games recording 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points this season.
The big part of the return from the Maple Leafs would be the first-round pick. Robertson is the other key player as he is just 23 years old and has shown flashes of being an impact player. But, this season, he’s recorded just 2 goals in 21 games. He is an RFA at season’s end.
Kampf, meanwhile, would be a fourth-line center for the Islanders. He is a great defensive forward who can also kill penalties. Kampf is in the second year of his four-year $9.6 million deal. He’s skated in 18 games recording 0 goals and 3 assists for 3 points.
Analyst Expects Maple Leafs to Trade Robertson
Robertson’s name came up in trade talks this summer as he requested a trade but no deal came to fruition.
With the forward struggling to be an impact player, his name has once again come up in trade talks. NHL analyst Edward Eng of FanSided believes Toronto should move on from Robertson before the trade deadline.
“Therefore, if inserting Robertson higher up in the lineup doesn’t end up leading to any more improvement than what he has been putting up already, Toronto will need to seriously consider whether a change of scenery would work best in the long run for both Robertson and the Leafs going forward. But the most important thing now is to make sure he is legitimately given that one last shot,” Eng wrote.
Robertson is currently playing on the Maple Leafs third-line but has struggled to produce much offense.
Lee Having Success Now That He’s Healthy
Lee has dealt with injuries over the past couple of seasons, but he is now finally healthy and excelling.
The Islanders’ captain is their top player and NHL analyst Mike Frink of The Hockey Writers believes Lee being healthy is a key reason for New York being as good as they are.
“The offensive zone play has been great, but it’s not what stands out,” Frink wrote. “What does is Lee’s ability to do it all as well as skating with more speed and ease than he’s done in the past few seasons. He’s gashing opponents in space and on the rush, making him a versatile skater, something he hasn’t been in the past, especially since the 2020-21 season.”
The Islanders are 9-10-6 to begin the season.
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Trade Pitch Has Maple Leafs Acquiring Star $49 Million Forward in Blockbuster