With the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason officially underway, now is the time to review some potential moves they could make. This team struggled in all aspects of the game last season, and one can only wonder how many moves will be made once the Stanley Cup Playoffs are over. The current flaw for the Leafs is that they lack young talent. Outside of Easton Cowan, they really do not have any young players with serious potential.
Should the Leafs sell and try to gain some younger talent this offseason? Or should they buy and try to make a contending team? Let’s take a look at what some people think on PuckGM.
Mock Trades
Ekman-Larsson to San Jose
The first move I could certainly see happening is the trading of defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. One mock trade was found of the Leafs moving Ekman-Larsson to the San Jose Sharks for some future assets.
This trade would take place shortly before or during the draft, as the Sharks send two 2026 draft picks over in the deal. However, the most intriguing piece of this deal is acquiring young forward prospect Quentin Musty. Musty was a first-round pick of the Sharks in the 2023 NHL Draft. At this time, he was dominating the OHL, scoring a ton of points. This past season, Musty made the jump to the AHL level and did quite well. At just 20 years of age, Musty posted 21 goals and 45 points in 61 regular season games. His season recently came to an end as the Barracuda lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Losing Ekman-Larsson is no huge deal for the Leafs. He can be replaced, and I think this trade benefits both sides. The Sharks get a veteran defenceman who can help them push for a playoff spot, while the Leafs gain some draft stock and a solid prospect. This trade definitely favours the Leafs side, but the Sharks have plenty of young talent that they can still work with. If there is one change to be made, I would say the Sharks only give up one of Musty or the second-round pick.
Anthony Stolarz to Vegas
Another trade that was found is a bit of a toss-up. This move has the Leafs trading goalie Anthony Stolarz to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a draft pick.
The full details of the trade include Stolarz and a fifth-round pick going to Vegas, while the Leafs get a second-rounder in return. I think Stolarz is worth a bit more than this, considering that he is still signed for four more years. However, he is coming off a rough year that was affected by injuries, so I could see that dropping some of his value. The Leafs will still have Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby, so a goalie trade would not surprise me.
This trade makes complete sense for the Golden Knights. They are certainly in need of better goaltending, as Carter Hart and Adin Hill have not been fantastic. Stolarz proved during the 2024–25 season that he can be an awesome goalie. He may be an option the Knights could go after, essentially with the mindset of doing whatever it takes to win.
Overall, I think this trade favours the Golden Knights, but I do not think it is awful for the Leafs either. They clear a bit of cap space, gain a second-round pick, and give way to their younger goalies. Do you think this is a reasonable move to consider?
Leafs trade for Nicolas Hague
The last trade to review includes a move that has the Leafs buying in the offseason. This move is made to help bolster their blueline with a big defensive defenceman.
This move would provide the Leafs with Hague and some salary retention for the next three years. The $1.1M in salary retention would bring Hague’s cost down to $4.4 M per season. Even with that, I do not like this deal. Ben Danford is one of the top defensive prospects for the Leafs, and I do not think that they should be trading away any picks. That said, I do think this is a decent deal. Danford likely has the ceiling of a second-pair defenceman, while the only pick with some value is the second-rounder.
From Nashville’s standpoint, this is an awesome deal. They trade one of their main defencemen for a defensive prospect and two draft picks. This trade would be interesting considering that the Predators almost made the playoffs, but I do not think the Leafs would make a deal like this.
Do you think the Leafs should be buying in the offseason?
Mock Signings
Buying Star Players
Looking at some mock signings, there were a few that stood out to me. From a buying standpoint, the two names that stood out consistently were John Carlson and Patrik Laine.
I think both of these deals could be worth it if they work out. Carlson is definitely on the older side, but he is still a very elite defenceman who is currently playing big minutes against the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs. He can help generate plenty of offence and is a reliable veteran guy to bring in. The cap hit is pretty high, and the Leafs would need to make some moves to afford him. Overall, I do think this gamble is worth it for just two years.
Another name that stood out was former 40-goal scorer Patrik Laine. Ever since his one memorable season with the Winnipeg Jets in 2017–18, Laine has never had the same scoring touch. He has bounced around between different teams and has really struggled with injuries. Over the past three seasons combined, Laine has played a total of just 75 games. Yikes. Even with this in mind, I do not mind taking a one-year, affordable contract risk on Laine. He still has an excellent shot, and it would be interesting to see him on the same team as Auston Matthews.
Depth Signings
Looking at some depth options. A couple of interesting takes were found on some depth forwards. There were two names that I think the Leafs could take a chance on.
The two names were Kailer Yamamoto and Barrett Hayton. I think Yamamoto has finally found his game in Utah, which is in the midst of a pretty good playoff run. Meanwhile, I have always liked Hayton’s game, who I still think has some good potential. Both of these players can be middle-six forwards who could earn time on the power play and penalty kill.
The price terms for both of these players are accurate; the only problem is that Hayton is an RFA, not a UFA. The Leafs would need to make some kind of minor trade to bring him in from Utah (the PuckGM option had the Leafs moving a couple of picks). I do believe that this franchise is in for many different changes. Do you agree with any of these moves? Should the Leafs be buyers or sellers this offseason?
