Toronto Maple Leafs: 7 Leafs Who Could Be Dealt at the NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is officially less than one week away, and GM Brain Burke is eager to pull the trigger on a massive deal to help snap his Toronto Maple Leafs out of their current funk.

Yesterday afternoon, Sportsnet.ca confirmed that Burke met with Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson at a New York City hotel to discuss a potential deal for highly-coveted Rick Nash.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun later cautioned that the meeting between the two GM's was "unscheduled." Nonetheless, the meeting took place, so rest assured Nash came up in conversation.

While it remains to be seen whether or not Burke will pull the trigger, he has no shortage in moveable talent to swing a big trade.

What follows is a list of seven Leafs who could be dealt prior to, or at, the NHL trade deadline.

If you think I have overlooked certain players, please feel free to share your thoughts and join the conversation. 

Thanks in advance for reading and enjoy!

Mikhail Grabovski

Last season, Mikhail Grabovski found chemistry with linemates Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin. As a result, he came into this season with high expectations.

Unfortunately, a slow start forced coach Ron Wilson to split up the dynamic trio, and as of yet, they have been unable to rekindle their chemistry on a consistent basis. 

As an individual talent, Grabovski ranks as one of the most skilled players on the Leafs roster. At times this season, he has easily been his team's most potent offensive threat.

According to TSN's Darren Dreger, Burke has received an offer for Grabovski that would see the Leafs get a prospect and a second-round pick out of the deal.

But the determining factor in this situation may be the fact that Grabovski is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. If Burke senses that he will be unable to re-sign his talented center, he may be forced to trade him while he can.

Luke Schenn

Luke Schenn's high draft selection—fifth overall in the 2008 NHL entry draft—has made him the topic of trade speculation since the day he arrived in Toronto. 

In the offseason, he signed a contract extension, but inconsistent play this year has resulted in diminished ice time. 

Individual play aside, Schenn's value as a tradeable commodity remains very high. He is a young, talented defenceman. He has ranked amongst the highest in the NHL for hits delivered since the outset of his career and has the potential to mould into an elite shutdown specialist. 

Recently, Schenn’s name has been linked in trade rumors with power forward James Van Riemsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers. However, since the Flyers recently traded for defencemen Nicklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina, they may no longer be interested in acquiring Schenn's services.

Nonetheless, should the Leafs want a significant return at the deadline, expect Schenn’s name to be involved in any big move that Burke makes.

Clarke MacArthur

Clarke MacArthur burst onto the scene in Toronto last season, scoring in each of the first four games. While he was unable to continue that remarkable pace, he became a dangerous offensive threat for the Leafs on a regular basis.

His play was impressive enough to land a two-year contract extension to the tune of $3.25 million per year, and even after a slow start to the season, MacArthur is currently on pace to put up similar offensive numbers this year as he did in his first campaign with the Buds.

Considering his offensive abilities and his manageable cap hit, the Leafs winger has the potential to become a significant depth-acquisition for a contending team.

Nazem Kadri

Since the Leafs selected Nazem Kadri in the 2009 NHL entry draft, I have been fearful that Burke would trade him.

In my opinion, Kadri has undeniable skills in the offensive zone. However, for various reasons that I will discuss another day, he has been unable to crack the Leafs roster. 

Suffice it to say, general managers around the league know full well the potential that Kadri possesses and would be more than happy to snag him out of Toronto should Burke be ready to part ways with the young, offensive talent.

Do not get me wrong, Kadri's value has not dropped because the Leafs have yet to utilize him on a regular basis. Burke understands the value in Kadri's potential and will only let him go if the return is significant.

Keith Aulie

In terms of defencemen, the list of so-called "untouchables" on the Leafs seems to change quite often.

For most of last season, to mention Schenn's name as a tradeable player was near blasphemy. This year, Jake Gardiner has overwhelmingly exceeded expectations and has seemingly taken a spot as a player that Burke should unquestionably retain.

Others will argue for the likes of Carl Gunnarsson, or perhaps Joffrey Lupul of the Leafs forward compliment as players that need to remain in the Blue and White.

Keith Aulie, however, is a player who may not receive a similar compliment.

This is not to suggest that Aulie has played poorly and, admittedly so, the comparison is slightly unfair because he is not a starting player.

But, numbers place Aulie on the outside looking in. The Leafs have an abundance on NHL-caliber defencemen, and as a result, Aulie may be a defensive prospect that the Leafs part ways with.

Nikolai Kulemin

Nikolai Kulemin is the last of the once-dynamic trio that I have mentioned on this list. He, along with linemates Grabovski and MacArthur, continue to be regular names in any trade speculation regarding the Leafs.

Buyer be warned, Kulemin's offense has dried up severely. Last season, the versatile two-way winger, notched a career-high 57 points—30 goals and 27 assists—to go along with a plus/minus rating of plus-seven.

This year, he is on pace to record nearly as many assists as he did last season, but only eight goals.

It deserves to be mentioned that Kulemin's numbers don't speak to his overall game, which, to say in the least, can be extremely effective.

He is a strong positional player, capable of logging big minutes, and will add an effort level that is hard to match to any team that is willing to trade for him.

James Reimer

I was hesitant to put James Reimer on this list, but Sportsnet.ca reported his name in speculation should the Leafs make a play for Rick Nash.

Rumors aside, Reimer has struggled to find his No. 1 form since returning from an early-season injury that was incurred during a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

In Reimer's stead, Jonas Gustavsson carried the load for the Leafs and played well enough to keep them in the playoff hunt. But this week may be the determining factor.

The Monster will be given the net for Toronto's next tilt, Tuesday versus the visiting New Jersey Devils. Should he play well and earn the win, he would more than likely earn the next start as well.

If a scenario such as this plays out, the Monster may end up having a big say in whether Reimer stays or goes. 

Keep in mind, Reimer would not be a rental player. He signed a three-year contract extension in the offseason with a manageable cap-hit of $1.8 million, which may look very attractive to any interested general managers. 

Untradeables?

Thus far, I have mentioned players that I think other teams will show significant interest in acquiring and who I think would be available for the right price.

However, I would be remissed if I failed mention a few players that I think the Leafs could do without, namely, Mike Komisarek, Tim Connolly and Colby Armstrong.

Each of these three, in my opinion, is overpaid and have underperformed. Unfortunately, their big-ticket contracts make them difficult assets to move.

That being said, Burke has a good record of being able to move unwanted contracts. If he could move all three, the Leafs would add a staggering $12.25 million in extra cap space.

Should Leafs Nation be so lucky? Probably not.  

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the NHL trade deadline!

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