Maple Leafs trade targets: Which forwards (and centres especially) can help Toronto?

After a defenceman (or two), what the Toronto Maple Leafs need to acquire most ahead of the March 8 trade deadline is another centre.

Someone to line up behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares and bump Max Domi back to the wing. And while there’s no Ryan O’Reilly out there to be had, a former Conn Smythe and Selke Trophy winner that is, there are some names who could be available that would help the Leafs.

We’ll rank them based on a combination of fit and acquisition cost. (We’ll also consider a few winger possibilities in the event that a centre is unattainable. The Leafs could use more scoring and/or defensive dependability up front.)

The less than ideal here: Henrique just turned 34, he’s not particularly quick, and as maybe the top centre available, he may be costly.

The good here: Henrique can still help the Leafs in a number of different ways.

Smart and reliable, Henrique would instantly join what’s currently a very limited group of forwards that head coach Sheldon Keefe can trust in any situation. Often playing the role of No. 1 centre in Anaheim, Henrique has faced top lines a bunch this season and kept his head above water. The Leafs won’t need to rely on him anywhere near as much, but it would be helpful for Keefe to have another line and centre he can deploy against just about anyone. Defensive zone draws that now go to Tavares would be helpfully siphoned to Henrique. The Brantford, Ont., native would give the Leafs coach more options up front. With Henrique around, Keefe could conceivably even move Tavares to the wing, for instance (though playing Henrique and Tavares together would probably present the same speed problems as Tavares and O’Reilly last spring.) Henrique has played top-line left wing in Anaheim at times this year too and could slide up to play with Matthews (or Tavares) if needed.

A member of Anaheim’s No. 1 PK unit, Henrique would immediately join a Leafs group that lacks real experience on that front. It’s conceivable that Henrique even surpasses David Kämpf there as Keefe’s top centre option, especially because Henrique is strong on draws. Henrique is playing bigger minutes, and thus, producing bigger numbers, than he would get in Toronto. But he can still contribute that way. He’s scored at a 20-goal clip (or close) for nine seasons in a row. Henrique also went to the Stanley Cup Final with New Jersey in 2012.

His $5.8 million cap hit is large and would almost certainly have to be partly eaten by the Ducks. Sean Monahan cost the Winnipeg Jets a first-round pick. His cap hit was tiny in comparison. What will Anaheim’s price be for the older Henrique — and can the Leafs afford to meet it with no second-round picks and a big hole to fill on defence?

2. Alexander Wennberg

Do you like boring but dependable? Meet Wennberg. He is not going to excite anyone and won’t do much at all to spice up the offence. However, he’s someone Keefe could rely on — a bit like Calle Järnkrok on that front, except he plays centre (No. 2 centre for Seattle in fact). Keefe could even team Wennberg up with Järnkrok as part of a third line that would no longer sit on the bench when the Leafs are trying to protect third-period leads. No Seattle forward has lined up for more defensive zone draws than Wennberg. Like Henrique, Wennberg would be a shoo-in for PK duty with the Leafs and would likely find a role on PP2 too; the Kraken deploy him as their net-front guy.

Will Wennberg, a pending unrestricted free agent with a $4.5 million cap hit, be available? That will presumably depend on whether the Kraken fall out of the playoff race. If they do and decide to sell, Wennberg should be more attainable than Henrique — event though his impact also figures to be less.

The big roadblock here is Granlund’s contract, which carries a $5 million cap hit and has one more year left after this one. Any conversation would have to start with the Sharks swallowing half of that. Otherwise, no dice. That would be part of the appeal here though: The Leafs would net another forward for two playoff runs instead of one.

Though he’s often played on the wing, Granlund would still be an upgrade on Domi in the middle. He checks similar boxes to Wennberg but with more offensive upside. A line of Domi, Granlund, and Järnkrok would be small but also competitive, with mild two-way potential. And guess who Granlund played a whole bunch with in Nashville back in the day? That would be Järnkrok. Granlund would presumably hook up with his former teammate on the penalty kill and power play.

He’s also played in 59 playoff games if you value experience.

I’ve never been the biggest Bjugstad fan. But he would fill the 3C role more naturally than Domi. He’s gigantic at 6-foot-6 and showing he can survive the quicksand treatment in Arizona — i.e. an expected goals mark of 50 percent despite an offensive zone faceoff percentage of 40 percent. Also: He would give the Leafs an actual right-handed centre to take right-side draws, including on the penalty kill. What concerns me? He’s not quick and in the playoffs, the slower types can be exposed. It didn’t go particularly well for the 31-year-old in recent postseasons with Minnesota and Edmonton. Bjugstad is signed for next season, at $2.1 million on the cap, which seems like a good thing. However, committing to a Bjugstad-Kämpf 3-4C combo beyond this season isn’t exactly enticing. On the other hand, the acquisition cost might be just right.

Will the Blue Jackets have any interest in trading Jenner? He’s their popular captain and signed for two more seasons after this one ($3.75 million cap hit). He also has an eight-team no-trade list. Does he want to play in Toronto? What’s the cost for someone with that much organizational value in Columbus? Can the Leafs, low in assets, afford to spend a lot of them on a forward, even one who would help positionally beyond this season?

What would Jenner bring to the Leafs? Size. Attitude. Competitiveness. Instant access to Keefe’s Circle of Trust. Jenner is hard to play against. He can be relied on to defend — and defend hard. He’ll crash the net and should score some goals — though, over his last 26 playoff games, Jenner has mustered only three goals and seven points. He also turns 31 this summer and is no speedster. Would Keefe pair him with Tavares or more likely, have him centre a third line with Domi and Järnkrok? Keefe could also get him looks, potentially, with Matthews. But again, is he even available? And what’s the cost?

Dowd makes sense only if the Leafs brass decides they just have to get a centre (any centre!) and can’t afford to pay for the better ones we’ve already covered. And even then, it’s probably a stretch simply because Dowd is a fourth-line centre who won’t punch up the offence and the Leafs already have one of those. Could Keefe play one of the two in the middle of the third line? It would be a stretch, though the Leafs could try to build a bottom-six line that eats up a huge chunk of defensive zone draws — say, Dowd alongside Kämpf and Järnkrok? Were the Capitals interested in swapping Dowd, who has another year left on his contract ($1.3 million cap hit), for the younger Kämpf, who has three more years left on his deal, maybe there’s a fit here. Like Kämpf, Dowd’s expertise lies on the defensive side of things. The Capitals confidently stick him out there for defensive zone draws against anyone and deploy him on their No. 1 PK unit. Dowd will be 34 in May so the Leafs would have to be comfortable with his ability to remain helpful again next season.

Two big obstacles here:

1. The contract, which carries a $3 million cap hit and carries two more years after this one.

2. The lack of much zest in Laughton’s offensive game.

The Leafs already have someone with similar issues in Kämpf. And Laughton is even pricier.

And if the centres can’t be had …

Anthony Duclair

He’s not having a great year for a bad Sharks team and didn’t produce a bunch for the Panthers last regular season either. But he did give the Panthers some juice (11 points) during their run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring and would offer the Leafs another legitimate scoring threat on the wings in the top nine.

Tyler Toffoli

If the Devils are still outside the playoff picture come deadline day, do they consider moving Toffoli, a pending UFA? If they do, Treliving has to at least make a call. Once upon a time, Treliving acquired Toffoli for his Calgary Flames. Toffoli can score and deliver some bite. Can the Leafs afford to prioritize a top-six winger of his ilk though given their limited pool of assets? He probably won’t be available anyhow.

Frank Vatrano

Maybe the answer then is Vatrano, who has another year left on his contract at only $3.65 million on the cap. Vatrano’s appeal is pretty simple: He can put the puck in the net. He’s on pace for over 30 goals this year and has scored pretty regularly throughout his NHL career.

Jordan Eberle

Given their positional needs, Wennberg makes way more sense for the Leafs as an add from Seattle. Having said that, Eberle would probably jump immediately in front of Tyler Bertuzzi, Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson, Noah Gregor and even Domi, in the Leafs’ forward queue. Eberle is having a down year shooting the puck, but he’s been a reliable scorer throughout his long NHL career. And there’s this: Eberle has pumped in 19 goals in 76 career playoff games. As with Wennberg, Eberle’s availability — he’s a pending UFA — will presumably depend on the Kraken’s playoff chances.

Anthony Mantha

There are Nick Ritchie vibes with Mantha. Big, but doesn’t play big. Can score some, but not as much as you’d think. He isn’t someone Keefe could (or would) play in the last minutes of a close game. He won’t kill penalties. And he has a cap hit of $5.7 million on an expiring contract. The only way this makes sense is if the Leafs decide there’s no turnaround coming for Bertuzzi and simply flip him to Washington for Mantha. And I don’t like that trade-off for the Leafs.

Colin Blackwell

Usually, the deadline offers contenders an opportunity to add depth vets who can contribute to a Stanley Cup run. Think Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty. There aren’t many of those guys to be had this year. Which brings us to Blackwell, who joined the Leafs in just that capacity in 2022. It didn’t go especially well, in part because Blackwell had to line up somewhat out of position at centre. He’s a better option for fourth-line duty than Gregor and Ryan Reaves though, and he can kill penalties.

(Top photo of Adam Henrique: Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images)