Maple Leafs Rumors: Linked To 3 Centers as Trade Targets

Most of the trade talk surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs has been around what defensemen they could bring in to bolster a weak blueline. But according to Leafs Insider Luke Fox of Sportsnet, we might also want to pay attention to the center trade market. 

Reading between the lines of comments made by coach Sheldon Keefe and GM Brad Treliving this week, Toronto would also like to upgrade its centre depth.

Max Domi has filled in admirably as a third-line pivot, but his trust defensively is iffy. Sense is, the Leafs would prefer a pure pivot and keep Domi as a middle-six utility player.

From there, Fox posits three names to keep in mind, all of whom are pending UFAs and would be pure rentals:

Sean Monahan, Montreal Canadiens

One of the NHL's most likely players to be traded this season, Monahan is coming off a team-friendly deal with a $1.985 cap hit. The 29-year-old has 8 goals and 15 points thus far, playing about 18 minutes a game. If he can remain healthy (which has been a difficult task the past few seasons) he'd be an ideal 3rd-line center for Toronto.

Adam Henrique, Anaheim Ducks

His $5.825M cap hit deal expires at the end of the season. But a deal here would require the Ducks to retain some salary. As a second-line center on the Ducks, he'd be a potential fit with the Leafs. The 33-year-old has 11 points in 25 games this season.

Alex Wennberg, Seattle Kraken

His 3-year, $13.5M deal expires this season, and with a $4.5M cap hit, the Kraken would have to retain some of that to get a deal done. But are they ready to sell off any assets? Wennberg has 11 points in 27 games this season as a middle-six center.

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