Maple Leafs Should Look Past Heated Rivalry and Make Crucial Trade With Divisional Rival
Though they have been bitter enemies for over a decade, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins should come together to help improve each other's teams.
The trade deadline is two weeks away and with the Toronto Maple Leafs set to be buyers, there's no telling who or what the team is going to bring in ahead of or on March 7.
But if they wanted to shake things up in a big way, they should put tensions and a long-standing rivalry aside for the benefit of both teams, with that trade partner being their most heated over the past decade: Boston.
With news that the Bruins are potentially calling it this season with an outlook to next year and beyond, they have a few pieces who could help the Maple Leafs as they make their push toward a Stanley Cup.
Boston Holds Key Trade Pieces For Maple Leafs
A stark turnaround from last season, the Bruins have been a shell of their former self and with an aging core that needs a refresh; Don Sweeney is gonna make a few changes.
Toronto needs to take advantage of those changes. The team could add pieces like Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle (who has been Auston Matthews' kryptonite the past few seasons), Brandon Carlo, and potentially though unlikely, Brad Marchand.
Marchand and Frederic are free agents, Coyle has another two years left on his deal but he's 32, and Carlo is younger but is costing Boston $4.1M and they could ship him off for a pretty solid return.
Marchand's experience speaks for itself, and while he's been a thorn in the side of the Maple Leafs for years, every Leafs fan would be happy to have him on their team.
He would add a winning pedigree along with the grit and x-factor the Maple Leafs need come playoff time. This season, Marchand has 20 goals and 25 assists in 58 games.
Frederic would give the Maple Leafs another big body upfront, and though he's struggled a bit this year, has been a clutch playoff producer in recent seasons.
Still only 26, he could add some much needed firepower to Toronto's bottom half.
In 56 games this season, he has eight goals and seven assists which would tie him with Nick Robertson for 7th on the team in goals.
Coyle is a really solid addition that often doesn't get enough love around the league.
A stellar two-way forward, Coyle can solve Toronto's 3C issues immediately, give them a consistent 15-20 goal scorer, win face-offs, kill penalties and throw hits.
He's the perfect Craig Berube type player, and the fact that he only makes $5.25M for the next two seasons after this is a bargain especially with the rising cap.
This season, Coyle has 13 goals and seven assists in 57 games.
Carlo's name has been thrown around in trade talks and would give Toronto a much more credible Top-4 with Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev.
A hulking 6'5, 220 pounds, he's the shutdown brick wall Toronto needs on their backend and would compliment their defensive identity perfectly.
This season he has one goal and eight assists in 57 games however adds in 111 blocks, and has averaged over 100 blocks and hits in his last three years.
He's fairly reasonable at $4.1M however with Toronto already committing so much money to their backend, they would need to make sure Carlo is a surefire bet, or they're going to have a slow blueline in a short span.
Those are just a handful of names that Toronto could go ahead and pursue from the Bruins if they decide to throw in the towel.
The cost to acquire these players will vary, however unlike a Noah Dobson, Dylan Cozens or Brayden Schenn situation; it won't be as expensive.
It shouldn't matter the cost, and nor should it matter that these two have been at each other's throats the last decade.
Boston needs to rebuild, and Toronto needs to reinforce. Come together and help each other. Even if it's only for one night only.
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) shakes hands with Team Canada forward Sidney Crosby (87) after overtime win by Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531510.webp "Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) shakes hands with Team Canada forward Sidney Crosby (87) after overtime win by Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images")
