The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to upgrade their defense after a strong 7-4-2 start to the season, and according to a new trade pitch published on Monday, the Boston Bruins have just the answer.
In the proposed trade, 6-foot-7, 256-pound defenseman Nikita Zadorov would head to Toronto, while in return the Leafs part with two veterans with a combined 28 seasons of NHL experience between them. Sending Troy Stecher and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Boston would make the deal a three-defenseman swap that shifts $150,000 in cap space.
The trade pitch was created using the roster construction site PuckGM, but it lands while Toronto plays without Chris Tanev and the Boston Bruins sort through a crowded blue line.
Boston Bruins’ Nikita Zadorov Trade Brings Back Two Veterans
Zadorov, a left-shot defenseman, was born April 16, 1995, in Moscow, Russia. The Buffalo Sabres drafted him 16th overall in 2013, according to Spotrac‘s database.
With his height and weight, he stands as one of the most imposing defensemen in the NHL, according to The Boston Globe. His six-year, $30 million contract, signed July 1, 2024, carries a $5 million cap hit through 2029-30, according to PuckPedia.
Zadorov described his physical approach when he arrived in Boston.
“I think it frustrates the other team, it gets your team going, and it’s important for close plays because I can use it, I got size,” he said, as quoted by Boston.com in July 2024. Contact, in his view, changes the tempo of a game.
Stecher, a 5-foot-10, 184-pound right shot, was born April 7, 1994, in Richmond, British Columbia, according to ESPN. Undrafted, he helped North Dakota win the NCAA title before the Canucks signed him in April 2016, according to TSN.
Toronto claimed him off waivers from the Oilers on Nov. 15, 2025. He finished with three goals and 14 points in 58 games, averaging 19:11 per night, according to TSN. His two-year extension carries a $1.35 million cap hit through 2027-28, according to Daily Faceoff‘s Tyler Kuehl.
Ekman-Larsson, a 6-foot-2 left shot, was born July 17, 1991, in Karlskrona, Sweden, and went sixth overall to Phoenix in 2009. He captained the Coyotes, then won the 2024 Stanley Cup with Florida, according to NHL.com.
Toronto signed him to a four-year, $14 million contract that includes a 16-team no-trade clause, according to TSN. The $3.5 million cap hit expires after 2027-28.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blue Line Gets Zadorov Option
Boston sheds $5 million in cap hit and absorbs $4.85 million in this trade idea. Zadorov’s deal also runs two seasons longer than either contract heading to Boston.
Tanev left Toronto’s Oct. 10 game against the Avalanche after five shifts and went on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, according to CP24. Toronto coach Jim Hiller was asked about adding a defenseman.
“Not my job, first of all,” he said, as quoted by CP24. Roster moves belong to general manager Brad Treliving, who traded for Darren Raddysh in June and sent Brandon Carlo to St. Louis, according to Yardbarker.
According to The Hockey News‘s trade-target list, Zach Whitecloud ranks as the most ideal outside candidate, and Filip Hronek has surfaced as another option. Zadorov is 31, Stecher is 32 and Ekman-Larsson is 35.
Boston ranks 24th in 5-on-5 high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes at 12.87, according to Boston.com. The Bruins opened camp with 10 waiver-eligible defensemen, according to The Boston Globe, and the right side already holds Charlie McAvoy, Will Borgen, Connor Clifton and Henri Jokiharju, according to The Hockey News.
Ekman-Larsson fills the left side Zadorov would vacate. Boston sends out one defenseman and takes back two, moving its camp count from 10 to 11.
Maple Leafs Trade Pitch Lands 6-Foot-7 Bruins Defenseman for Veteran Pair