The Toronto Maple Leafs have put an emphasis on adding size to their blue line, and one trade pitch has them adding more size to the back end.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquire Tyler Myers from the Vancouver Canucks.
Maple Leafs acquire:
Canucks acquire:
- Nick Robertson
- Pontus Holmberg
- 2026 third-round pick
The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as Toronto adds more size to the blue line, while Vancouver gets two young forwards and a draft pick.
The Maple Leafs would acquire Myers, who’s 6-foot-8 and in the second year of his three-year, $9 million deal. Myers would be on the second or third defensive pair and would be able to play well defensively, but also add some offense. With the Canucks last season, he recorded 6 goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 71 games.
In return, Toronto would deal a third-round pick and two pending RFA forwards. The Maple Leafs would deal Robertson, who requested a trade last season and is likely to request another one this season. Robertson was a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs despite recording 15 goals in 69 games and had 1 goal in 3 playoff games.
The Canucks would also acquire Holmberg who played a key role for Toronto this season, but does have some good trade value. Holmberg can be a good middle-six forward for the Canucks and add some offense as well as defensive ability. Holmberg recorded 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 68 games.
Maple Leafs GM Built a Tall Defense
When Brad Treliving took over as the Maple Leafs’ general manager, his goal was to rebuild the blue line and make Toronto harder to play against.
Treliving signed Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson while also trading for Brandon Carlo. All three are tall and tough to play against.
“In today’s game, I like the length of our defense, I like the makeup of our defense. We’ve still got to be able to get out of our own end,” Treliving said. “There are things we can do in terms of closing quicker and taking away space… We need to get more offense from our defense. But in terms of personnel, we’ll see. I like the D-corps, but we can’t be rigid.”
Myers is another tall defenseman who would fit in perfectly for the Maple Leafs. He could replace Simon Benoit in the lineup, or Morgan Rielly, if Toronto does trade the longtime defenseman.
Maple Leafs CEO Has Confidence in Group
Toronto had high expectations of making a deep playoff run and possibly winning the Stanley Cup.
However, the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the second round. After another early playoff exit, Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley said he’s confidence in the group and the people running the team to get them over the hump.
“I’m confident in Brad. I’m confident in Craig. I am confident in the resources that we have,” Pelley said. “But I do believe that we as the custodians of the biggest hockey brand in the world have a responsibility to our fans — and that responsibility is winning championships. And we will do everything we possibly can and will not stop until we reach that goal.”
Toronto enters the offseason with $25.7 million in cap space, but has Mitch Marner and John Tavares as pending free agents.
Trade Pitch Has Maple Leafs Acquiring 6-Foot-8 Defenseman in 3-Player Deal