Maple Leafs Reportedly Scouting Two Surprising NHL Teams Ahead of the Trade Deadline
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently looking at all options ahead of the trade deadline, and it's led them to two surprising teams from the Pacific Division.
It's only a handful of days away from the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, and with teams rushing to figure out deals and what moves best suit their teams, they are looking at every possible outlet for help.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of those teams, and the pressure is on Brad Treliving to make a move to fill some pretty glaring holes.
But given all the teams linked with the Leafs, two teams have now popped up as potential trade partners: The Vegas Golden Knights and the Los Angeles Kings.
Toronto is also the only team with two scouts perusing the matchup, but it begs the question: Who exactly is the team looking at?
Toronto Scouts Vegas and Los Angeles: Who Are The Targets?
It isn't too crazy to see all teams being scouted especially so close to the deadline, however the fact Toronto is looking at two Pacific Division behemoths is a bit perplexing given they are probably most likely buyers if they do anything at the deadline.
Vegas is dealing with some serious injuries to William Karlsson and Shea Theodore, so they could look to the Maple Leafs for some extra bodies.
Toronto on the other hand could be viewing two potential pieces: Nicolas Roy and Tanner Pearson.
Roy, 27, would give Toronto the 3C they need at a reasonable price. He has scoring potential, plays hard, wins face-offs, throws hits and fits the Craig Berube style; plus he's 6'4 so he fits the height metric.
This season, Roy has seven goals and 13 assists but is coming off three straight seasons with 13+ goals and won a Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023.
He's cheap too, at only $3M for the next two seasons and would give Toronto a solid option down the middle without sacrificing their top prospects.
Pearson, 32, is also a Cup winner, this time with the Kings in 2014. Now playing for Vegas, he would bring a veteran scoring presence to Toronto's third line.
This season, Pearson has nine goals and 10 assists in 54 games while adding 75 hits.
Not as offensively sound as Roy, he still can offer bottom line production with serviceable defense for dirt cheap. Only at $775,000 and a free agent in July, Pearson would be essentially a cost-free option for Brad Treliving.
In terms of who Toronto would be going after from Los Angeles, they could be looking to add to their defense with two big names: Vladislav Gavrikov and Brandt Clarke.
It would be a bit of a pipe dream for Treliving to acquire either man however if he were to get ahold of one; it would change their defense dramatically.
Clarke, 21, would be the Leafs defenseman of the future and Morgan Rielly's successor. A smooth-skating, two-way defenseman, Clarke is going to be a beast for years to come and is already showing impressive strides.
This season in 52 games, Clarke has four goals and 21 assists while also adding 92 blocks in 16:33 TOI.
The issue is his price, as GM Rob Blake is going to want a big name prospect and picks back, and with his team doing very well this season; he may need a king's ransom to persuade him to part with Clarke.
Gavrikov, 29, offers the opposite of Clarke, although he's no slouch offensively. The 6'3, 220-pound defenseman would make Craig Berube salivate with his tenacity to block shots, throw hits, and eat tons of minutes.
In 54 games, Gavrikov has three goals and 16 assists in addition to 112 blocks in 24:07 TOI.
A free agent at the end of the season, Gavrikov is making $5.875M and while it's an expensive option for the Maple Leafs, they don't necessarily need to commit money to him come July (unless he helps the team win a Cup).
It's certainly intriguing that Brad Treliving is looking towards these two specific teams for potential trade pieces. Both offer different solutions for some clear holes, but will Brad Treliving pull it off?
The countdown is on.
