Confirmed deal : Trade Proposal Has Maple Leafs Adding Veteran Defenseman

 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have put an emphasis on defense and goaltending and a trade pitch has them adding a veteran defenseman.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquiring Matt Grzelcyk from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

The proposed deal does make sense as Pittsburgh gets a young forward and two draft picks to help them in the future, while the Maple Leafs get a veteran defenseman to help them right now.

Grzelcyk signed a one-year $2.75 million deal with the Penguins this offseason. But, with Pittsburgh off to a slow start, he could be a trade candidate by the deadline and the Maple Leafs would be a logical spot. The former Boston Bruins defenseman has plenty of playoff experience and could be a third-pairing defenseman in Toronto.

 

In return, the Maple Leafs would deal Holmberg who’s 25 and is in the second year of his two-year $1.6 million deal. The Swede could be a bottom-six forward for the Penguins and add some depth scoring to the bottom lineup and be a developmental piece going forward.

 

In return, the Maple Leafs would deal Holmberg who’s 25 and is in the second year of his two-year $1.6 million deal. The Swede could be a bottom-six forward for the Penguins and add some depth scoring to the bottom lineup and be a developmental piece going forward.

 

Toronto did have several NHL-quality defensemen so the Maple Leafs dealt former first-round pick Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks.

The Maple Leafs got Matt Benning, another defenseman who can be in the AHL, and two draft picks for the Swede.