Former First Overall Pick Emerges As Trade Candidate For Toronto Maple Leafs After Getting Healthy Scratched

With a lot of pressure on GM Brad Treliving about how he will go about strengthening his forward depth, and whether or not Toronto is built for the playoffs, he must make a statement to show fans and the rest of the league he's not here to mess around.

So what if he can pull off a blockbuster that includes a former MVP and 1st overall pick? That would surely show the league that he means business, and give Toronto who they need to go deep into the playoffs.

Adding Taylor Hall would be something of a coup for Brad Treliving. Hall is struggling this season, with only 6 points in 17 games and being a healthy scratch to gather his bearings, but there's something to be said about adding a former 1st overall pick and former MVP.

Hall, drafted by the Oilers in 2010 has been stellar for his career even if he's seen his share of ups and downs over that span. He's registered 703 points in 849 games including this season, and is a versatile winger who can fill in at center in a pinch, but could facilitate the bottom six playmaking and form a solid duo with Max Domi and try to spark his offense.

After his strong start in Edmonton, Hall was traded for defenseman Adam Larsson in one of the most highly-talked-about trades in recent years. He exploded for 93 points in his second season, leading to him winning MVP; the first in Devils history.

Hall would be able to be acquired for a package that includes Nick Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok, so long as the Blackhawks don't mind retaining half of Hall's salary.

This shouldn't be too much of an ask as Chicago has $5M in cap space to play with and adding a potential star for Connor Bedard in Nick Robertson is a huge boost to Chicago.

It would be in Brad Treliving's best interest to ask GM Kyle Davidson how much it would cost to acquire Taylor Hall; it's not too often you get the chance to look into gaining a former MVP with his type of resume.