The Maple Leafs have a potential trade scenario to explore with New Jersey

As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to search for help, they are going to need to be a bit creative to get things done. With a lack of premium assets and a spotty trade record, the team has to make sure whoever they go after is guaranteed to help them.

They need to improve their top-six a bit, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to shore up their goaltending considering how prone to injuries they are. They need something even more crucial: a puck-moving defenseman.

Morgan Rielly isn't exactly moving the needle, and while Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been stellar, and Troy Stecher was a very underrated waiver pickup -- there isn't a true quarterback on the team.

But according to a new report, they may be able to bring one in.

According to Kevin Weekes, former NHL goalie turned analyst, the New Jersey Devils are reportedly interested in finding a deal for a couple of players including defenseman Dougie Hamilton:

Hamilton, 32, is a Toronto native who would add a huge boost to the Maple Leafs blueline and give them the offensive star they need. While he's not the youngest guy on the ice, he brings so much versatility at both ends of the ice.

He has 509 points in 864 games so far in his career (155 goals, 354 assists), a plus-72, 954 blocks, and 1,003 hits. There's nothing he can't do, and he's quietly been one of the better two-way defenders over the past decade.

Plus, he's a 6'6, 230 pound tank who actually has skating ability and isn't hampered by his size, and would immediately give the Maple Leafs a threat on the point with his shot. He loves to shoot and has a very hard and heavy shot.

Off the bat, not with their current cap situation. They need to find a way to either find a way to sweeten the pot so New Jersey will retain salary, or figure out who they can dish off to cover for his $9-million cap hit.

Starting off, Toronto would need to trade Matias Maccelli, and likely a couple of others with mid-range deals like Brandon Carlo and Calle Jarnkrok.

Carlo makes sense because he hasn't really showcased what he can do and is currently dealing with a foot injury but even on the ice hasn't been as effective as in years past, and his trade looks worse and worse each game that passes.

Jarnkrok has seemingly already decided his future and committed to Sweden for next season, so dishing him off as part of a package to bring in what they need makes perfect sense. It also reunites him with former head coach Sheldon Keefe, and gives him a chance to fight for a Cup in potentially his last NHL season.

Maccelli hasn't fit in with the club at all, hasn't played in over two weeks, and feels like a bust at this point. If Keefe and the Devils can get something out of him, then so be it but he can't be on the Maple Leafs anymore.

A combination of Jarnkrok, Maccelli, and Carlo plus a 2027 pick could be enough for the Devils to part with Hamilton. It gives them a right-handed defenseman to replace him, a young burgeoning forward who could fit perfectly with the Devils run and gun style, and Jarnkrok a chance to win and be a great supplemental piece.

So while it's a heavy price to pay, it's what Toronto is going to need to do and with some creativity and accountability; they can turn their mistakes into something great.