4 Third-Line Center Trade Options for Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves down two more centers this week as first David Kampf and now Tie Domi (who's been playing out of position in the pivot) have gone on the IR. And with Auston Matthews still out until likely next week, they've got holes to fill up the middle.

One internal candidate is getting a shot Wednesday night, in the team's No. 2 prospect Fraser Minten, but GM Brad Treliving will still certainly have to add to the cast at center.

With that, we have a look at a list of potential 3C adds compiled by James Mirtle in The Athletic. We also had a look at four higher-end pivots the Leafs could target here.

Radek Faksa, St. Louis Blues

A big, defensive center and faceoff specialist. Now with the Blues, Faksa spent a decade with the Dallas Stars, and as Mirtle notes, has plenty of deep playoff experience, with 79 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At 6'3", 215 pounds, he provides some solid size up the middle, but won't provide much offense at all.

Trent Frederic, Boston Bruins

A pending UFA, and another big man at 6'3", Frederic is a solid secondary scorer, with 35 goals total across the previous two seasons. But let's be honest, the Bruins are highly unlikely to trade Frederic to their heated division rival, if they are even inclined to deal him at all.

Yanni Gourde, Seattle Kraken

Gourde made the #2 spot on Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli's first Trade Board of the campaign, as we shared here. The soon-to-be 33-year-old played a big role in two Stanley Cup championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but has seen his production take a big dip since 2022. He has just one goal in 19 games this season, and his $5.1M cap hit will make it difficult to get a deal done, if there is indeed any interest.

Sean Kuraly, Columbus Blue Jackets

The 31-year-old physical center looked like he could develop into a solid secondary scorer a few seasons back in Columbus, with 14 goals and 30 points in 2021-22. But that year seemed to be an outlier, as his production has taken a dip each season since then, and this year has just two goals and five points in 18 games. The 6'2", 215-pound pivot can lay out the body however, recording as many as 240 hits (in his career year, 2021-22).