Leafs Trade Rumors: Ranking The Top 7 Third-Line Center Options For Toronto

Despite Bobby McMann's unexpected hat trick Tuesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking for more offense out of their bottom-six. Some consisent scoring from anyone not named Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, or William Nylander would be nice. A viable third-line center would be even better. 

With that in mind, and with the trade deadline just over three weeks away, Leafs beat writer Jonas Siegel of The Athletic has ranked the top seven 3C candidates on the trade market that would fit best on the Leafs:

1. Adam Henrique, Anaheim Ducks

Ok, this one would fit best for pretty much any contender who wasn't fortunate enough to land either Elias Lindholm or Sean Monahan, the top two tradeable centers that have already been scooped up by the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets, respectively.

The downsides? Henrique is now 34 years of age, and he'll come at a hefty cost, being the top available remaining centre, despite his limited upside.

2. Alexander Wennberg, Seattle Kraken

Nothing fancy, but certainly reliable in a third-line role. The problem here is that the Kraken haven't given up the playoff fight just yet, so he might not be so available.

3. Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks

The former first-rounder has played a lot of wing, but is a centre at heart.

Cons: A $5 million cap it would require a lot of retention by the Sharks, probably 50%. 

4. Nick Bjugstad, Arizona Coyotes

In addition to adding a decent pivot on the third line, the 6'6" Bjugstad would provide the added bonus of some serious size, something the Maple Leafs lack.

5. Boone Jenner, Columbus Blue Jackets

Would come at an extremely high cost, and its' still unclear if the Blue Jackets are even interested in trading him.

6. Nic Dowd, Washington Capitals

7. Scott Laughton, Philadelphia Flyers

The Maple Leafs do have plenty of work to do before the trade deadline, but as we can see, there are many options and many roads they could take. 

Photo: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports