Maple Leafs and Predators blockbuster fan trade proposal emerges
In an NHL where blockbuster trades are few and far between, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators could work together to create a huge 9 player trade.
It's few and far between that we see a blockbuster trade where five, even sometimes six players are sent to a team. Who remembers the Eric Lindros trade where Philadelphia sent Steve Duchesne, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, Kerry Huffman and Mike Ricci; along with two first round picks (Nolan Baumgartner, Jocelyn Thibeault) and future considerations (Chris Simon) PLUS $15M to Quebec for Lindros; who famously snubbed Quebec and refused to play for them.
You also have the recent Erik Karlsson trade which sent him from Ottawa to San Jose in 2018 for four players and four picks; including current Senators standout Josh Norris. But could the Toronto Maple Leafs be the next team to pull off something so massive?
Absolutely, and they have a partner in Nashville to do it. Toronto needs a true center and add a bit more insurance to both their NHL and AHL ranks; meanwhile the Predators are smack dab in contention and could use some reinforcements for their playoff push as well.
Toronto added defense with Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa meanwhile Nashville acquired Scott Wedgewood, Brady Skjei, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. Both teams loaded up but it leaves them with minimal cap room; but with a blockbuster trade proposal like this: it opens up space and creates a bit of chaos.
Here's the trade:
Toronto acquires
Colton Sissons (C)
Philip Tomasino (F)
Ryan Ufko (D)
Luke Prokop (D)
2025 2nd Round Pick (TBL)
2025 5th Round Pick (NSH)
Nashville acquires
Nicholas Robertson (RW)
Ryan Reaves (RW)
Calle Jarnkrok (F)
Timothy Liljegren (D)
Nicholas Abruzzese (C)
2026 3rd Round Pick (TOR)
Wow. That's a lot of pieces going back and forth so let's break it down by team.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs gain a bunch here both in prospective players and cap space. The main piece coming to Toronto here is Sissons, a defensive maestro who absolutely dominates in the faceoff circle; a career 53.6% rate. He's also 6'1, 200 pounds and fits perfectly into the Craig Berube gameplan. Scissons also has some goal scoring chops, tying his career high with 15 last season for the Predators. He could slot in on the 3rd or 4th line and would definitely be a key player on the penalty kill and in critical situations for Toronto. He's also got a great hockey IQ and knows where to be and can anticipate offensive attempts from the opponents before they do at points.
Toronto also adds Tomasino, a former first round pick of the Predators who has had a decent start to his young career but finds himself pushed out of the Predators lineup thanks to their additions. He's only 23, he's a natural center, and while undersized a bit; can easily slot in on the wing alongside Sissons and allow himself to blossom against weaker lines.
Ufko, a right-handed shooting defenseman is also a bit small but if he could gain some muscle in the AHL without sacrificing his speed, the Leafs may have a diamond in the rough. He enjoyed a very successful NCAA career with UMass-Amherst, where he scored 23 goals and 58 assists in 106 games. The Predators drafted him in the 4th Round in 2021 and he hasn't been able to find a spot outside of junior; he could be a big prospect in the Leafs system alongside Cade Webber and Noah Chadwick.
Finally, Prokop; a towering 6'5, 225 pound defender who also shoots right-handed could be a massive get for the Maple Leafs and the Marlies. Not known for scoring but for bodying players, he would instantly add some intimidation regardless of where he plays and the kicker is? He's only 22. He's got so much more time to grow and learn on the ice, the potential is massive.
Nashville Predators
Nashville instantly becomes a Cup contender with the additions of Robertson and Jarnkrok. It brings their Top-9 to an insanely talented level and having Jarnkrok take Michael McCarron's spot down the middle on the 4th line. McCarron would move to the third and Robertson would slide in with McCarron and Luke Evangelista, shifting Mark Jankowski with Jarnkrok and either Jusso Parssinen or Cole Smith. Nashville's offensive prowess goes extremely deep in a Western Conference that is notoriously known as defensive heavy. Robertson never got the time in Toronto and although he has a new coach now, there's no guarantees. Nashville would utilize Robertson to his fullest potential and allow him to control the 3rd line and make it equally offensive and defensive.
Jarnkrok takes over the defensive center role and his production is on par with Sissons minus the faceoff advantage (though for his career, Jarnkrok is barely under 50%) and he would fill Sissons role suitably for the Preds.
Liljegren would slot in over Spencer Stastney; the unproven Notre Dame product who could use a little more conditioning professionally before making the full leap to the NHL. It would also bring Liljegren back with former Maple Leaf Luke Schenn on the third pairing, and Nashville would afford Liljegren the minutes needed to get to where he needs to be. He's not the offensive dynamo the Maple Leafs envisioned when he was drafted 17th overall but a fresh start in a fresh city away from the spotlight could be what he needs.
Reaves heads over as a depth enforcer for the Predators as GM Barry Trotz and head coach Andrew Brunette could use the extra help especially in the playoffs. Reaves would protect the likes of Stamkos, Gustav Nyquist, Filip Forsberg and Marchessault; not only with his presence but his fists. The Predators would be keen to play Reaves only in times where he can't effectively hurt the team as he's been terrible defensively regardless of how many hits he throws.
Finally, Abruzzese comes into Nashville looking for his chance to shine. He may need to play one more year in Milwaukee in order to solidfy himself but there's no doubt he would be a impact player for the Predators. He's a small center but his talent is undeniable; he just hasn't been given a true shot. With 116 points in 118 games for the Chicago Steel of the USHL, he translated that into a two-year stint at Harvard University; scoring 77 points in 59 games. Toronto signed him out of Harvard and he debuted a bit later on but never kept the spot. He would be a big prospect for Barry Trotz amongst the likes of David Edstrom (who came over in the Yaroslav Askarov trade), Yegor Surin and fellow collegiate standout Matthew Wood.
The picks exchanged in this trade give Toronto a little bit of wiggle room with what they want to do in 2025; either utilize the picks and draft according to your needs, or package the picks in another trade. Given both picks are projected to be fairly late in the draft, it may not have much consequences, much like the Leafs pick they are sending back. The cap situation would allow the Maple Leafs to open up and have roughly $2.6M in cap space meanwhile the Predators still come in under the cap with just over $1M.
At the end of the day, it's a crazy trade proposal with so many questions and variables involved. But with both teams looking to have a huge playoff run, and with pieces that could work out for both sides: Why wouldn't you try to pull off the impossible?
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