The Toronto Maple Leafs overhauled their roster this offseason after hiring John Chayka as general manager.
Toronto added plenty of bottom-six forwards, and not all the players may make the roster, so the Maple Leafs could trade from their surplus.
The Maple Leafs will begin their season on Sept. 29 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Trade Pitch Has Maple Leafs Dealing Steven Lorentz
As Toronto has opened training camp, the bottom-six has been overhauled, and there are some roster battles.
With that, Heavy.com has a trade idea that sees the Maple Leafs dealing fan-favorite forward Steven Lorentz to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Maple Leafs acquire:
- 2026 fifth-round pick
Golden Knights acquire:
- Steven Lorentz
The proposed deal makes sense as Toronto parts ways with Lorentz, who doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, and adds a mid-round pick. Vegas, meanwhile, gets a bottom-six forward to add some depth, especially after trading away Keegan Kolesar.
The Maple Leafs went out and added the likes of Nick Paul, Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Zack MacEwen, and Colton Sissons this offseason for the bottom-six. Toronto also still has the likes of Jacob Quillan, Michael Pezzetta, and Bo Groulx as players who could take the step to the NHL and get a bottom-six role.
Vegas, meanwhile, takes a flier on Lorentz, who’s a solid fourth-liner and can kill penalties. Lorentz has two years left on his three-year, $4.05 million deal as he earns $1.35 million per season. He recorded 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 71 games.
Lorentz is from the Toronto area, so trading a hometown guy would be tough. Yet, the Maple Leafs can save some cap space, while Vegas adds some more grit to its bottom-six. Lorentz also won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024.
Toronto Begins Training Camp
The Maple Leafs opened up training camp, and it was the first chance to see their lines.
One of the big questions is where Gavin McKenna would play. He ended up starting on the second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.
The Maple Leafs lines on the first day of camp were as follows:
Knies – Matthews – Roslovic
McKenna – Tavares – Nylander
Cowan – Paul – Sissons
Lorentz – Blueger – Duhaime
Joshua
McCabe – Tanev
Ekman-Larsson – Raddysh
Andrae – Danford
Blankenburg – Stecher
Bobrovsky
Stolarz
Toronto has odds of -125 to make the playoffs.
Trade Pitch Sees Maple Leafs Dealing Fan-Favorite Forward for Light Return