Brad Treliving Hints at Maple Leafs' Bold Trade Plans at NHL Draft

With the NHL Draft set to take place Friday night, there are going to be a lot of eyes on which teams are going to find their nest big superstar, or perhaps the secondary role players necessary to help their team succeed in the future.

There is a lot of discussion over who will go first overall, but that's something the New York Islanders need to figure out, but for the Maple Leafs; they aren't really in a prime position.

Holding the 64th overall pick isn't the worst spot in the world, but it's certainly not where the Maple Leafs want to be if they want to get that young enticing prospect; though that might not necessarily be in their plans from the get go.

They get things started on Saturday, with them not holding a first-round pick, however that doesn't mean they don't have a game plan.

According to GM Brad Treliving, the team isn't going to be too hasty on using that pick, and are keen on perhaps trading it to not only go down in the draft; but bring in some much needed assets too:

It's not the first time we've seen teams drop down in the draft, and the Maple Leafs are well acquainted with the tactic, trading down last year in order to draft Ben Danford.

The Maple Leafs were also a victim of this tactic, acquiring the 22nd overall pick from Anaheim in exchange for the 30th and 39th picks. Toronto ended up selecting Tyler Biggs. Anaheim? John Gibson and Rickard Rakell.

But could they end up trading down and pick someone they hope are still on the board like Carter Amico or Alex Huang? Perhaps Matty Gard will still be available.

It's a risky proposition, but if the Maple Leafs want to bring in someone who can change their DNA, it's gotta be someone who is NHL-ready, and not a prospect who is a few years away from making a difference.

If the team can find a buyer for a potential RFA or even a veteran with an expiring deal like Jaden Schwartz or find a way to package that pick with some other pieces for Noah Dobson; that's going to make trading down much more palatable.

This is a team that is expected to win now, and that means they need to get as many pieces as possible who can help immediately, but they'll have to part with #64 in order to do so.