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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in their Stanley Cup window and one trade pitch brings in a former first-round pick and star forward.
The website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades and one user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquire Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks in a multi-player deal.
Maple Leafs get:
Ducks get:
- Nick Robertson
- Pontus Holmberg
- Ty Voit
- 2025 second-round pick (Florida’s)
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto adds the most skilled player in the deal in Zegras. The forward is just 23 and was selected ninth overall in 2019 as he’s entering the second year of a three-year $17.25 million deal.
Zegras could play on the wing or at center in Toronto and be a top-six forward who could add some more skill. Last season, the skilled forward struggled with injuries as he skated in just 31 games recording 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points.
The return for Anaheim is solid, as the Ducks get a second-round pick as well as three young players. Robertson is 22 and has asked for a trade, so he would be the focal point of the return as he can replace Zegras in the lineup. His age also fits in nicely with Anaheim’s young core.
Holmberg, meanwhile, is 25 and can be a bottom-six depth forward for Anaheim while Voit is 21 and could push for NHL minutes in the next couple of seasons.
Ducks Listening to Offers for Zegras
Zegras was supposed to be a key player for the Ducks and a big part of their core. However, he has struggled to stay healthy and his role with the team has diminished.
With that, Zegras’ name has come up in trade talks, and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek is listening to offers for the former first-round pick.
“And finally, Trevor Zegras trade chatter has resurfaced. Verbeek would not comment on that, but other league sources suggest the Ducks are listening on him and would consider moving him in the right deal. They’re obviously deeper up front, which is why they could afford to move him. Listening to trade offers and deciding to pull the trigger are two different things. I would say TBD on that one,” LeBrun wrote.
Zegras has skated in 211 NHL games recording 55 goals and 99 assists for 154 points.
Maple Leafs GM Not Ruling Out More Moves
The Maple Leafs have yet to make a move to their forward group and with training camps set to open in September, time is running out to add.
Although Toronto focused on defense and goaltending in free agency, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is not ruling out making more moves before camp opens.
“To me, we’ve still got five weeks or so till camp. And, you know, we’re not set yet. We continue to look at ways to make our team better,” Treliving said on OverDrive on TSN 1050. “I said at the end of the year we’re going to look at everything. Sometimes people fall in love with ‘ ‘let’s make a big change just to make a big change’. At the end of the day, you can go out and make big changes. If they’re not making your team better, to me it doesn’t make any sense to just make a change just to stand up and say ‘look at it, we made this big change.'”
The Maple Leafs signed Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz in free agency.
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Trade Pitch Has Maple Leafs Acquiring Star $17 Million Forward in a Blockbuster