Maple Leafs Risk Missing Out on Top Trade Targets Due to Major Weakness Ahead of the Deadline

The Toronto Maple Leafs have built themselves as a contending team for the past few marks at the cost of long-term prospect development.

Toronto has not been a team to focus heavily on the NHL Draft, lacking top picks since drafting Auston Matthews first overall, a consequence of being a consistent playoff team since, but the Leafs have also lacked top prospects.

Despite a lack of high picks, Toronto has found value outside the first round, including Fraser Minten at 38th, Matthew Knies at 58th, & Joseph Woll at 62th, and even Pontus Holmberg at 156th.

This lack of prospect care may be one thing that ultimately impacts the big club this season and could cost them getting a top player this trade deadline.

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently don't have a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, having traded it in 2023 to the Chicago Blackhawks in the deal that sent Jake McCabe & Sam Lafferty to Toronto.

The Leafs are linked to top centers on the trade market, with popular names in Yanni Gourde and Brock Nelson, both players who could fetch a first round pick from other teams.

Toronto does have first round picks in 2026 and 2027, but if a team wants a 2025 first rounder, Toronto is going to have a challenge.

The Leafs do have a first rounder in Easton Cowan, as well as Fraser Minten & Nikita Grebenkin as top prospects.

A team like the Islanders, who have Nelson, need a top prospect at both offense and defense.

The belief in Toronto is that Easton Cowan is near untouchable, at least with the current reported trade options such as Nelson & Gourde. The same likely goes with Grebenkin & Minten depending on the name.

If the Leafs are to trade for a top forward to boost their roster, they may need to have a value player in return, and the Leafs don't have a top asset to give, or plan to move on from their top prospects.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, valuing win-now over the future, now lack a future to gain a top player to win now, and will have to be crafty if they want their top center.