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The Toronto Maple Leafs put an emphasis on its defense this offseason and a trade pitch has them acquiring a star defenseman.
The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquiring MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames.
Maple Leafs acquire:
- MacKenzie Weegar ($1.1 million retained)
Flames acquire:
- Ben Danford
- David Kampf
- 2026 first-round pick
- 2025 second-round pick (Florida’s)
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto would acquire Weegar for two draft picks, a recent first-round pick selection, and an NHL player.
Weegar is in the second year of his eight-year $50 million deal. The 30-year-old is a star defenseman who can be a shutdown defender but can also add some offense to the lineup. Weegar could be Toronto’s second-line right-shot defenseman and solidify the right side of the Maple Leafs’ defense. Last season with Calgary, Weegar recorded 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in 82 games.
In return, the Maple Leafs would deal two draft picks and Danford who was selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft. Danford is currently playing in the OHL. The defenseman is likely a couple of years away from playing in the NHL.
Kampf, meanwhile, is in the second year of his four-year $9.6 million deal. The centreman could be Calgary’s fourth-line center and help be part of a shutdown line with the Flames.
Flames GM Squashes Trade Rumors
Calgary general manager Craig Conroy has reportedly told teams he is done with the fire sale, according to TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun.
“I think Craig Conroy is confused as to why people are expecting that. He’s done all the fire sale that he’s going to do here over the past 12-15 months,” LeBrun said on TSN’s Insider Trading. “The reality is that all the core veterans that people think might get moved, they’re under contract past this year. Guys like Nazem Kadri, Mackenzie Weegar, and Blake Coleman.
“The fact is, Conroy sees those veterans as wanting to be a part of this roster transition. He wants them to be a part of this roster transition,” LeBrun added. “He doesn’t want to tear it down to the studs, he wants to build the right culture in Calgary and wants those veterans around through that.”
Along with Conroy reportedly being done with his fire sale, the Flames GM is also looking at acquiring some center help.
Calgary is off to a 4-0 start in the 2024-25 NHL season.
Maple Leafs Coach Pleased With Defensive Start
Toronto has been playing well defensively through its first four games.
The Maple Leafs put an emphasis on defense in free agency, and new coach Craig Berube has a defensive-first style. Through four games, Berube says the team’s mindset of shutting the other team has been the key.
“I think the mindset, more than anything, is there with the checking side of things,” Berube said. “We’re pretty tight on people. We’re not giving up odd-man rushes and we’ve got to continue to stress that. I thought we were in our end too much (against the Kings).
“We let them come at us a little bit too much,” Berube added. “We didn’t get up enough in the neutral zone well enough But in saying that, we were good at our net and we were good in the slot area, keeping them outside. They shot a lot of pucks from the point.”
The Maple Leafs will return to the ice on October 19 against the New York Rangers.
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Trade Pitch Sees Maple Leafs Adding $50 Million Defenseman in Blockbuster