Leafs Engaged in Bidding War with Western Conference Team for Brayden Schenn, per Elliotte Friedman
If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to acquire Brayden Schenn from St. Louis, they may need to fight with a Stanley Cup Contender in order to get his services.
The NHL Trade Deadline looms heavily over the minds of Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs as they look at making one or several deals in order to improve their roster given that as good as they are; they still have some glaring needs.
But it's not going to come easy, nor is it going to come cheap and if the Leafs want to make a splash at the deadline and acquire St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, not only will it cost them a lot in assets but they've also got some hearty competition for the veteran's services.
According to Elliotte Friedman during the Saturday's Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, there is another potential suitor for Schenn and it's a recent Cup winner: The Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas is no stranger to adding at the deadline and beefing up their roster ahead of the playoffs. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, and Noah Hanifin as prior pickups.
So would Toronto have a chance at adding Schenn with Vegas in play?
Toronto's Chances To Beat Vegas Is Overpaying For Brayden Schenn
It's the unfortunate reality, but if Toronto wants a chance at Brayden Schenn, it's going to cost them either Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten as well as the team's 2026 1st rounder amongst other things (especially with some salary retention).
Is that worth the cost? If Toronto makes the Cup Finals or even wins the whole thing, then absolutely but that's far from a guarantee.
Schenn is a great addition, as he would bring a winning pedigree to the team along with solid offensive and defensive metrics but there are some concerns.
He's 33, and while not in a full regression, his numbers are down from previous seasons and hits defense has taken a hit. He's going to be 36 at the end of his deal and it's hard to justify Toronto paying another aging veteran without results.
This season, Schenn has 12 goals and 25 assists in 61 games while adding 151 hits and winning 50.7% of his face-offs. That would certainly help Toronto but is that the real gamebreaking player the team needs?
Vegas owns seven picks in 2025 including a second rounder and two thirds. They don't have a first in this season or the next however, so Toronto might have a leg up if they're gonna try and push for Schenn.
They could also dangle young forward Pavel Dorofeyev along with a bunch of picks in order to get a deal done, and if Toronto isn't going to initially bite on a package; Vegas has the assets to swoop in.
It's going to be tough business for Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs, but if they wanted to make sure they get Schenn, they'll have to pay potentially more than he's worth.
