Latest NHL Trade Rumors on Leafs, Ducks and Predators amid 2025 NHL Free Agency

As the NHL off-season stretches on, teams continue to look for ways to upgrade key positions on their teams, including in the trade market.

One such a team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are looking for offense amid free agent Mitch Marner's deal with Vegas earlier this month and may be willing to deal key defenders to get it.

The Ducks are taking a wait-and-see approach with a top restricted free agent while the Predators may have a high-profile name on the trading block.

Dive deeper into those topics with this round up of insider reports.

Toronto Looking to Move A Defenseman for Offensive Help?

Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The biggest free agency deal of this offseason saw Mitch Marner leave Toronto and head to Vegas on an eight-year, $96 million contract.

That move understandably left the Maple Leafs looking to fill the void left by Marner's departure. According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, the team could move defenseman Morgan Reilly or Brandon Carlo in an attempt to find offensive help.

That Reilly has a no-move deal makes any trade involving the alternate captain a tricky proposition. Carlo has an eight-team no-trade clause, making him easier to move if the team heads in that direction.

As Kypreos noted, though, "It may be hard to believe the Leafs would trade away Carlo so soon after paying a steep price to acquire him, but the fact is Toronto doesn't have many assets to make a deal with."

The team will be looking to replace 102 points of offense, with Marner accounting for 27 goals and 75 assists. It will not be easy and may prove impossible. Still, the team does not currently have the answer on the roster and the only way to make up for that may be to trade away a skilled defenseman who can help another team fill their own needs.

Considering offense has been the strong suit in Toronto for seasons now, and defense has been a sore spot for fans, one has to wonder if the front office is taking the right approach by even considering a deal or if it should cross its fingers and hope Auston Matthews can get back to being the scoring machine he was two seasons ago.

No Offer Sheet for Mason McTavish?

Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images

NHL insider Chris Johnston reported on The Steve Dangle Podcast that the Anaheim Ducks are unlikely to extend an offer sheet to budding star center Mason McTavish, mostly because the team can match any offer that comes their way.

Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that McTavish and the Ducks are unlikely to sign a long-term contract, but a bridge deal is possible.

It is not surprising that both his current team and most around the league would love to have McTavish on board.

The 22-year-old is coming off the best season of his career in Anaheim, scoring 22 goals and tallying 30 assists for a 52-point year. He was on the ice longer per game than at any time in his stint with the team (16:53), and he found the net six times in power-play situations.

A two-way player with a great shot and the physicality it takes to be a difference-maker in the league, he has tremendous upside.

If the Ducks cannot hammer out a new deal with him to keep McTavish around long-term, and he continues to trend upward in an aforementioned bridge deal, the team will be able to name an astronomical asking price for him and still get a deal done that nets them a big bounty ahead of next season's trade deadline.

If he is not dealt before then.

Is Jonathan Marchessault Available in Nashville?

John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images

Jonathan Marchessault won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 before signing a five-year, $27.5 million deal with Nashville ahead of last season. His output fell off slightly, and according to Kypreos, "If they have a chance to move one of their expensive, long-term contracts...Marchessault would be the most likely."

The veteran right-winger still put up 56 points on 21 goals and 35 assists while missing just seven games.

Kypreos noted that Ottawa, Toronto, and Edmonton are all potential suitors, with each looking to add to their top six. Given the Maple Leafs' aforementioned need for offense and willingness to part with defensemen to get it, one has to wonder if Toronto has enough to offer Nashville in a potential trade.

Edmonton would be the most intriguing as a player of Marchessault's stature and skill would almost certainly make the Oilers favorites to once again represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.

It remains to be seen if Nashville pulls the proverbial trigger on a deal but the 34-year-old has a championship resume and can still contribute meaningful hockey to whichever team he plays for next season.