One aggressive, cap-rich team just emerged as a realistic trade partner for the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / NHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have a recent trade partner as a potential option to go back to.
One team's reported openness to becoming a potential trading team has created an opportunity for a team like Toronto to look at a move.
According to a report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, via NHL Rumour Report, the Utah Mammoth are a team looking at potentially upgrading on their roster, and appear poised to be active on the trade market.
Seravalli's read of the situation is that Utah has the picks and prospects, as well as the cap space, to be competitive if they make a trade.
Utah, who already worked with Toronto when they traded forward Matias Maccelli to the Leafs in the offseason in exchange for a conditional third-round pick, could be in line for another deal with Toronto.
How Frank Seravalli framed Utah's push to make a deal before the deadline
Frank Seravalli reported that the goal of the Utah Mammoth is to be aggressive in pursuing a trade, noting their available cap salary and prospect depth.
The move might be a challenging one for Toronto's current win-now mentality as Utah appears poised to be buyers rather than sellers, but the Leafs goal to make a "roster-for-roster" trade might be beneficial for both sides.
It could take a high valued player such as Nick Schmaltz out of contention, a player previously linked to the Leafs, but could set both teams up for a deal that addresses needing for each team.
There are a few options that can be intriguing paths forward for Toronto to help Utah be buyers, without hurting the Leafs own goals of winning.
How a Utah-Toronto trade could actually work for both sides
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few pieces they could offer as depth options, and the Mammoth's prospect pool could be a place to recoup some future assets.
The Leafs lack top-end prospects, and trading off a depth forward such as Matias Maccelli or Max Domi could net a possible B-tier prospect, and Utah has the cap salary to eat either contract in full.
The Mammoth would have to believe that a player like Maccelli or Domi are pieces that help the team, and players worth giving key prospects away.
One area the Leafs lack in prospect help is on the blueline, with Ben Danford the main piece. Top prospect Dmitri Simashev might be too much for Utah to give away, but the Mammoth have other options.
Two names that strike as intriguing in their prospect pool are RHD Max Psenicka, a 6'5 RHD with two-way potential, and LHD Will Skahan, a 6'4 defenseman at Boston College who plays a defensively reliable game.
'Editor In Leaf' noted Psenicka as a player who fits the Leafs mold in a pre-draft article before he was taken in the second round by Utah in the 2025 NHL Draft, 46th overall.
If Toronto wants something a bit more instant help, former Leaf prospect Sean Durzi is an intriguing top-four RHD, but his $6M yearly salary until 2028 could make him a costly option.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, a win-now trade between themselves and Utah is complicated, but the right pieces could prove to be helpful for both parties in getting what they want to add to their roster right now.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 754 ANSWERS One aggressive, cap-rich team just emerged as a realistic trade partner for the Maple Leafs Would Domi or Maccelli and Ben Danford for Sean Durzi be a good trade for Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 275 | 36.5 % |
| No | 479 | 63.5 % |
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