One Maple Leafs Forward Making It Very Hard for Brad Treliving to Make a Trade, Per NHL Analyst

The Toronto Maple Leafs had not kept it secret that they want to pursue a defensively sound center who can add scoring and provide them with the bottom six punch the team has so desperately needed this season.

Amidst all the injuries, Brad Treliving had to call upon his rookie Fraser Minten to stop the bleeding, and with three points in four games, according to analyst Sam McKee of the Real Kyper and Bourne podcast: Minten has to stay on the team.

Originally called up as a replacement for David Kampf, Minten has come in and provided a nice spark for the Maple Leafs that started just three shifts into his season when he potted his first goal of the season.

Toronto's 38th overall pick in 2022, Minten has excelled throughout his entire junior career, and was primed to make a run for a roster spot earlier this season before an ankle injury during the Prospect Showcase derailed those plans.

It didn't take long for Minten to score his second of the season either, burying a shot top shelf against Chicago on Monday, showcasing the talent Toronto can expect for years to come.

It's hard to argue then that Minten doesn't deserve a spot on the roster for the long-term, as he's already gathered more points this year than David Kampf, Nicholas Robertson, Ryan Reaves, and Connor Dewar and while the latter has missed due to injury; the majority have played and not produced.

Robertson might be the worst offender of all, after scoring five goals in the preseason and looking poised to break out this year, has only scored twice and been the subject of rampant trade rumors over the past few weeks, not to mention a lot of criticism.

Treliving has been on record as saying that Toronto needs to add not only a bit of extra offense to their bottom six but they are primarily focused on adding a gritty and tough defender to patrol the third line.

However, Minten has that ability and has shown immense progress even in his short time with Toronto. He's aggressive, always mobile, and shows the passion and grit that Craig Berube loves. Not to mention he doesn't mind throwing hits, already having 12 hits so far.

If Brad Treliving wanted to make a trade for a third-line center he has the absolute right to do it, and there are several names who could instantly make an impact including Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri. However, Minten has shown promise and will only get better with time.

Instead, perhaps the Leafs GM can focus on trading away some of his bloated contracts and try to recoup the draft assets they've lost over the past few seasons.

In closing, Toronto has a tough decision regarding Fraser Minten and whether to keep him or send him down. Time is running out for the team and if he continues his pace there's going to be no choice but to keep him around or bite the bullet and lose a year of Minten.