NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs Forward Emerging as Trade Candidate

In a recent piece for Postmedia, Michael Traikos argued that the Toronto Maple Leafs should take advantage of Nick Robertson's heightened trade value and use him as a piece to land Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

In his piece, Traikos argues that the Maple Leafs are in need of an elite defenseman rather than another future top-six forward. He certainly has a point when noting that the Leafs already have a very strong quartet of forwards in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander. Defensively, they could use a true top-pairing defenseman, and Chychrun would give them just that.

Parting ways with Robertson would certainly be risky, however. If the 21-year-old reaches his full potential, he could become an excellent NHLer. Alas, it will be intriguing to see if the Leafs' need for defensive help leads them to part ways with a young talent like Robertson.