4 potential National Hockey League trade deadline deals
By Josh Berg
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames could go for another trade
Toronto Maple Leafs Receive: Noah Hanifin (D)
Calgary Flames Receive: 2024 1st, Nicholas Robertson (F) & Timothy Liljegren (D)
The Toronto Maple Leafs seem to always be in the market for a defenseman this time of year. Last season they went out and got Jake McCabe, who has turned out to be a great addition to the blue line.
It has been evident this season that the Maple Leafs only have two defensemen worthy of a Top 4 spot on their roster, Morgan Reilly and Jake McCabe.
TJ Brodie has not played well this season and Timothy Liljegren has not progressed the way that many had hoped for him. This defensive unit is a mess and needs some serious overhaul.
Luckily for Toronto, there are several top-quality defensemen available at the deadline. Christopher Tanev, Jakob Chykrun, Colton Parayko, and Sean Walker were all names that were wrestled around here before landing on arguably the best player available at the deadline this year in Noah Hanifin.
Hanifin is an expiring contract and he is one of the most sought-after names available at this year’s deadline. That would be a natural fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs alongside Morgan Reilly finally stabilizing the top pairing for the Maple Leafs.
There is a world where Toronto tries to acquire both Hanifin and Tanev but in this scenario, the Leafs just grab Hanifin for a first, Nick Robertson and Liljegren.
Parting with Robertson is going to be a tough pill for the Leafs. He has been a young player they have coveted for a few seasons and he finally is having stable ice time this season but the production has just not been there.
Moving him in this deal gives Calgary another young piece that they can add to their shallow prospect pool and group of younger NHL players to hopefully develop into a piece of their future.
With Auston Matthews playing the way he is this season, Toronto has to swing for the fences to try and capitalize on an Eastern Conference that has lacked separation and elite teams at the top for the majority of the year.