Maple Leafs Forward Emerges as Brad Treliving's Top Trade Asset
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to make sure that they have as much insurance on their blueline, and they could use an under the radar name to get it done.
For the most part, the Toronto Maple Leafs' defense has been a huge turnaround from last year. Chris Tanev has been fantastic, Jake McCabe has quietly become elite (though he's dealt with several injuries), and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has added some much needed edge and another veteran presence.
But they're dealing with an injury to the latter, and with questions surrounding the health status of their older defenders, the team needs to add some insurance and could do so by dangling the defensive-minded David Kampf as trade bait.
David Kampf Should Be Traded For Defensive Insurance
You'd think trading away a center as your team is already thin down the middle is a death sentence for Brad Treliving but it has it's benefits if you look past the surface.
Toronto has either Fraser Minten or Connor Dewar able to slide in for Kampf and while it's not the same level of defense, it's serviceable for Toronto's bottom line (who doesn't play a ton of minutes anyways).
Kampf has three goals and four assists in 39 games with the Maple Leafs this season.
He's signed for the next two years at $2.4M, which is a big overpayment for what he's offering Toronto and they need the cap space to make other moves in the future.
One potential destination who could use the help is the Minnesota Wild. Kampf would fit perfectly in their bottom six, offer the type of gritty defense they need with Ryan Hartman suspended 10 games, and gives them a premium position with term.
Toronto should look to acquire defenseman Declan Chisholm in the deal, as the 25-year old is the perfect offensive depth piece for Toronto's blueline. While Simon Benoit is good, he doesn't offer the offensive potential Chisholm does. Toronto's defenseman aren't scoring, so they can use all the help they can get.
A smooth-skating puck mover, Chisholm can bring new life to their blueline. He's not Morgan Rielly levels of offensive but he knows how to make the first transition pass, and is good enough defensively to track back.
Drafted 150th overall by Winnipeg in 2018, he has five goals and 15 assists in 79 games and hasn't played much in his four NHL seasons. While he doesn't fit the physical build of a Treliving defenseman, he's better than their AHL options and is a better alternative than Conor Timmins.
He's cheap too at only $1M and is a free agent at the end of the year. Opening up space in your cap for a cheap insurance option is a savvy move for the Maple Leafs and with enough pieces to cover for Kampf, it's a solid deal for both sides.
To Toronto:
(D) Declan Chisholm
To Minnesota:
(C) David Kampf
2026 3rd Round Pick
It's not the flashiest trade available on the market, but it's often the smaller trades that have the biggest impact. It would be a chance to bring in some much needed help at a minimal cost, and Brad Treliving should give GM Bill Guerin a call very soon.
