The Toronto Maple Leafs are definitely up to something. That’s the word around the league in the run-up to the 2026 NHL Draft. Just about every notable insider has declared that John Chayka has a big deal in the works.
What’s unclear is what the something big could be. Now, one insider in particular, the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, floated the idea of the Maple Leafs working on a massive deal involving disgruntled Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
During an appearance on Leafs Morning Take on Wednesday, Pagnotta hinted that the Maple Leafs most assuredly have a major move in the cards, but it’s uncertain what it could be. He discarded Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe as possibilities.
And while Morgan Rielly remains atop the list of potential trades, Pagnotta believes that someone like Hellebuyck could be a trade percolating for the Maple Leafs.
“The goaltending one’s intriguing to me. I don’t know exactly where that’s going to go, but that one’s intriguing. It definitely sounds like — talking to people around the league — the Leafs may have something BIG that’s cooking… something that’s going to be a holy sh*t type of scenario, I wonder if it’s Hellebuyck.”
David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) on @LMTake_:
“It definitely sounds like — talking to people around the league — the Leafs may have something BIG that’s cooking…”
It’s worth pointing out that Pagnotta isn’t necessarily reporting that this deal could actually be happening. It might just be a discussion, but it could be one that actually has some legs to it.
Hellebuyck to Maple Leafs Seems Unlikely Given Current Situation
Unless the core of the deal is Matthew Knies going to Winnipeg for Hellebuyck, this type of deal seems unlikely given the current situation. While Toronto has the first-overall pick, it’s not likely the Maple Leafs would move it for Hellebuyck.
The only other possibility is that Hellebuyck has twisted the Jets’ arm so much that he demands a trade to Toronto, and nowhere else.
In a sense, that would actually be plausible. One of the talking points over the last few weeks has been the desire for Team USA members to band together on teams with a chance of winning.
As it stands, the Maple Leafs have a much better chance of contending next season than the Jets do. That’s why the connection between Hellebuyck and Auston Matthews could be just the thing to convince the 32-year-old netminder to waive his no-trade clause to head to Toronto.
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Nothing Imminent on the Trade Front
While the prevailing chatter is that Chayka is working the phones, the fact is that nothing is imminent. That can change, of course. But as it stands, the Maple Leafs aren’t quite ready to pull the trigger on any deals.
It’s worth pointing out that if a deal doesn’t materialize before the draft, it won’t ever. A deal like the one involving Hellebuyck doesn’t need to happen before the draft. Unless the deal involves draft picks in this year’s draft, the deal could go through at any point.
So, Maple Leafs fans shouldn’t be disappointed if nothing happens before Friday. The next unofficial deadline will be the opening of free agency on July 1. Thereafter, the summer doldrums could delay some deals moving forward.
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