Leafs Trade Rumors: Next 3 Top Priorities To Address Before Deadline

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally pulled off a trade for a right-shot defenseman, but there is still work to be done by GM Brad Treliving to get the lineup where he wants it heading down the stretch and into the playoffs. 

With the Leafs only having to pay $687,500 of Ilya Lyubushkin's cap hit, the team saved themselves some room to go out and make another move by next week's deadline. As much as defense has been an issue all season long, there are other needs that the team has to address that have also been festering.

With the help of Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, we look now at the next three top priorities for Treliving to deal with ahead of next Friday at 3 PM Eastern.

1. Top-Nine Center

As Siegel breaks down with some metrics, Max Domi's trial as a 2C is still a bit of a stretch, and another viable pivot would be a critical addition. Adam Henrique (Anaheim) and Alex Wennberg (Seattle Kraken) are the top available names.

2. Bottom-Six Forward

This has been an area of concern for much of the season in Toronto as well. A bit more punch for this group is needed, even with the recent offensive contributions of Bobby McMann. Some options here on the trade market include Nic Dowd of the Washington Capitals, Brandon Duhaime of the Minnesota Wild and former Leaf and Toronto native Sam Carrick, if Treliving wants to ring up Ducks GM Pat Verbeek once again.

3. Third-Pairing D

It looks like Lyubushkin could be a fit with Morgan Rielly on the top pairing, providing some physicality behind the puck-mover. If that's the case, a third-pairing d-man would be a nice addition, and some of the options available include the Philadephia Flyers pair of Sean Walker and Nick Seeler, Matt Dumba of the Arizona Coyotes, as well as Joel Edmundson (Caps) or even former one-time Leaf Zach Bogosian (Wild). 

 Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports