Elliotte Friedman Reports Major Setback in Maple Leafs' Pursuit of Brayden Schenn
A new report from Elliotte Friedman has made Toronto's plan to trade for Brayden Schenn a lot more difficult. Can the Maple Leafs still pull it off?
We know it's no secret the Maple Leafs need to improve their forward depth. Connected to names like Brock Nelson ($6.5M), Scott Laughton ($3M), and Yanni Gourde ($5.16M) -- the team is going to make a splash.
Another name they've been linked to recently is St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn but a new report from Elliotte Friedman reveals that acquiring him will take a king's ransom.
This also confirms NHL insider Darren Dreger's earlier speculation about what a trade for Schenn would cost:
If I'm [GM Doug] Armstrong and you want to convince me to move my captain with a pretty good deal, you have to make it worth my while and that's essentially what it might take.
So what can the Maple Leafs do to acquire Schenn?
Toronto Needs To Pay A Heavy Price For Brayden Schenn
Toronto needs to give up Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten in order to get any type of conversation going -- not to mention their 2026 first rounder at minimum.
Schenn is signed to a very team-friendly contract especially when the new salary cap comes into play. He still has three years left of his eight-year, $52M deal he signed in 2019.
This season, Schenn has 11 goals & 19 assists in 55 games, and is only five games short of 1000 for his career.
In those 995 games, the long-time Blues forward has 271 goals and 394 assists since he was drafted fifth overall by Los Angeles in 2009.
Toronto is going to be acquiring a premier center with offensive reliability, playoff experience, defense, and familiarity with head coach Craig Berube -- and that comes at a price:
To Toronto Maple Leafs:
(C) Brayden Schenn
(D) Tyler Tucker
To St. Louis Blues:
(F) Easton Cowan
(F) Nicholas Robertson
(D) Topi Niemala
2025 2nd Round Pick (FLA)
It feels like an overpayment, but Toronto is in win-now mode. Cowan is the main piece headed back to the Blues and while it hurts to lose him -- he's still an unknown and could end up playing worse than expected.
Though his historic point streak ended, Cowan still has 18 goals & 22 points in 30 games for the London Knights.
We all know what Schenn can bring to the table, and Tucker is a young big-bodied defender who could be a solid option for a bit of defensive insurance for Toronto's weaker defensemen.
Robertson needs a fresh start outside of Toronto and only being 22, he has loads of time to get comfortable with St. Louis' system and potentially turn into a reliable goal-scoring option.
This season, he has 8 goals & 4 assists in 46 games for the Maple Leafs.
Niemala has fallen out with the team after new management came in, and doesn't fit the mould of the new-look Leafs defense, and greener pastures could help his stock rise in the future.
In 36 games with the Marlies this year, Niemala has zero goals & 14 assists.
Both picks are premium picks however are projected to be fairly late given that both Toronto and Florida will make postseason pushes.
It's a lot of moving pieces and Toronto will definitely feel the sting of the deal if Cowan turns out to be a superstar while the Leafs flounder in postseason disappointment.
But if you had the chance to acquire a Stanley Cup winning center who ticks every box your team needs -- why wouldn't you?
Tell us what you think! Would you trade Easton Cowan as part of a package for Brayden Schenn?
