The Toronto Maple Leafs have yet to address the forward group in the offseason and one trade pitch has them acquiring two forwards from the Anaheim Ducks.
The website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades and one user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquire Ryan Strome and others in a blockbuster.
Maple Leafs get:
- Ryan Strome
- Brett Leason
Ducks get:
- Timothy Liljegren
- Topi Niemela
- 2025 second-round pick (Florida’s)
In the proposed deal, Toronto would acquire forwards Strome and Leason for a pair of young defensemen and a draft pick.
Strome is entering the third year of his five-year $25 million deal. He would immediately become a top-six forward for the Maple Leafs and add some more scoring to the lineup. Last season, he skated in 79 games recording 11 goals and 30 assists for 41 points.
Leason, meanwhile, could be a third-line player for Toronto as last season with Anaheim, he recorded 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 68 games.
Anaheim, meanwhile, would get a draft pick which helps their rebuild as well as two young defensemen in Liljegren and Niemela.
Liljegren is just 25 and was a first-round pick in the 2017 NHL draft while he signed a two-year $6 million extension with Toronto this offseason. Despite signing the extension, his name has still been involved in trade discussions. Last season with the Maple Leafs, the Swede skated in 55 games recording 3 goals and 20 assists for 23 points.
Niemela, meanwhile, is one of the Leafs’ top defense prospects but his pathway to the NHL appears to be blocked. Niemela was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NHL draft and last season, he played in the AHL recording 8 goals and 31 assists for 39 points in 68 games.
Liljegren Signed an Extension with the Maple Leafs
Liljegren had been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but the Swede signed a two-year extension with Toronto.
Following Liljegren signing the extension with the Maple Leafs, he made it clear he wanted to remain in Toronto.
“I feel good,” Liljegren said to the media on July 1. “Toronto was always the place I wanted to be, and I’m happy we got it done.”
Liljegren has played in 196 NHL games recording 14 goals and 51 assists for 65 points.
Former NHL Coach Critical of Ducks Moves
Anaheim is one of the worst teams in the NHL as they are in the midst of a rebuild.
However, in the offseason, the Ducks didn’t help out their team as GM Pat Verbeek was quiet in free agency. Anaheim landed Robby Fabbri and Brian Dumoulin in trades, but former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau is critical of what Anaheim has done.
“Even San Jose, good moves or bad moves, they’re making moves,” Boudreau said on TSN. “Chicago’s making moves to try to improve their team. What has Anaheim done? They’re sitting there. They’re hoping their young guys are going to be okay, but their fan base is not five million strong like Toronto. It’s very limited. You got to start putting a good team in Anaheim, and I don’t know if Pat Verbeek has done that right now.”
The Ducks have not made the playoffs since the 2017-18 NHL season.