A new trade proposal has the Maple Leafs acquiring both centre and defensive help from the Calgary Flames, and the package is surprisingly frugal for John Chayka.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the mix to improve not only their bottom-six scoring but also beef up their blue line especially in the wake of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson's questionable health statuses.
They have a lot more money to work with than they did previously so bringing in a body is less of a concern in that regard, but it's still going to cost assets. There are reports the team has explored talks with Calgary regarding Zach Whitecloud, which would be a solid addition to round out the lineup.
Speaking of Calgary, not only would Whitecloud be a great piece from the Flames, but so too would Connor Zary, their young centre who they placed on waivers earlier this season as they look to find a trade, and he'd certainly add an offensive dynamic to Toronto's bottom six.
Toronto sends a variety of assets to Calgary for immediate lineup help
And a new trade proposal has the team acquiring them both for a surprisingly cheap package:
To Toronto:
(D) Zach Whitecloud
(C) Connor Zary
To Calgary:
(F) Miles Wood
(F) Tyler Hopkins (Rights)
2027 Second-Round Pick
2029 Third-Round Pick
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Toronto would absorb the combined $6.525M that both Whitecloud and Zary make, while sending Wood back as a means to even out the salary a bit. Hopkins is a young forward who has been torching the OHL this season, and would fit perfectly into Calgary's rebuilding plans.
Calgary also gets a chance to add more draft capital to their impressive amount of picks. They have 13 through the first three rounds combined for the next three years, and they get even more ammo with a pick this year, then in 2029.
Why Toronto needs to pursue this trade
Toronto hasn't used Wood and he was seemingly included in the Kirill Marchenko-Matthew Knies trade as a means for Columbus to make salary work, so is inclusion isn't a huge miss.
It's a deal that doesn't hamper Toronto's ability to win now, it doesn't take out any real serious draft capital as they keep their 2028 first-rounder, and while Hopkins is a great prospect - the team has several who are going to be fighting for spots, and he's expendable.
There's nothing wrong with adding more help than you might need because as we've seen, things can turn on its head in an instant. Whitecloud gives them a physical and reliable defensive option that can sub in for Tanev, meanwhile Zary adds some much needed scoring help to a bottom-six who needs it badly.
It's a win-win for both teams, as Calgary saves money and gets solid assets while Toronto gets exactly what they need to stay competitive. It's rare you find those deals, and the Maple Leafs might pull off two in the same season.
Would you make the proposed trade for Connor Zary and Zach Whitecloud?
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