Trade Proposal Emerges That Gets The Leafs The Perfect Partner For Morgan Rielly

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James Connelly
September 17, 2023 (1:04 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a prime position to make a cup run and acquiring a top defender could be the final piece.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Are In Need Of A Top Defenseman

Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs have very few weak spots. With a strong start in Ilya Samsonov, a loaded forward core with the core four and many depth pieces, and a defense with the likes of Morgan Rielly, it seems like there is little the Leafs need to do to improve.

However, they seemingly have a hole in their right-side defense. Currently, they have TJ Brodie, John Klingberg, and Timothy Liljegren on their right side. While this may appear as a strong point, Brodie has been declining over the past few seasons and is a lefty playing on the right side, Liljegren has yet to break out, and Klingberg is very poor defensively.

With Morgan Reilly on the left side, the Leafs are in need of a player who can help him defensively and allow him to do whatever he wants to offensively.

The Proposed Trade

A trade proposal has emerged that sends defenseman Brett Pesce to the Leafs.

This proposed trade sends Brett Pesce at a cap hit of $3 million to the Leafs in exchange for Calle Jarnkrok, Conor Timmins, and a 2024 1st round pick.

The Leafs would be parting with some valuable assets but for a cup run, it would be worth it.

Jarnkrok is an elite third liner who could slot in the Hurricanes lineup right now and could be playing for years to come. Timmins was a project acquisition made by Kyle Dubas and has some fair upside. If he is sheltered in Carolina's system, he could become an invaluable player. Finally, a late first-round pick is valuable and a team like Carolina will certainly get some value out of it.

In return, the Leafs get a top-pairing defenseman who can play alongside Morgan Reilly and help lead them to a Stanley Cup. It would certainly be a gamble from Brad Treliving to give this much up for a rental but if they can prove to Pesce that they are the perfect spot for him, he could wind up being one of the most valuable players on the Leafs roster.