Potential Leafs Trade Target Emerges Who Compliments Craig Berube's Style of Play
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to make a trade and one under the radar name could be Jean-Gabriel Pageau. That is, if New York is ready to start making deals.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into 2025, the team is looking to make a statement as they start the second half of their season. Finishing off 2024 with a dominant victory against the New York Islanders, things are looking up.
They face the Islanders again on Thursday, and with talks about a potential trade for Brock Nelson in the works, another name has popped up that would fit perfectly with Craig Berube's system in Jean-Gabriel Pageau; a veteran center with term.
Pageau's Playstyle Meshes Perfectly With Toronto
He's not your typical big-bodied Craig Berube type, but the style of game he plays would bring a big boost to Toronto's Top 9. A right-handed shooting center, he has a career 54.2% faceoff win percentage, and this year is at a blistering 59.5%.
He's not a huge goal-scoring threat but always has the potential to give a team 15-20 goals in addition to fantastic defense, penalty killing, and isn't afraid to throw the body even if he's not the biggest.
His ability to pester opponents on the forecheck, keep pucks in the zone, fight in corners and allow his teammates to get into a better position is invaluable, and has been a solid playoff producer as well.
It ticks all the boxes Toronto needs, it also brings Pageau back to the Atlantic where he started his career too.
A fourth round pick of the Senators in 2011, Pageau struggled to get things going but he was able to put together a solid eight years in Canada's capital city. He had 182 points in 428 games before being traded for a handful of picks.
Immediately extending with the Islanders, it was a great signing for Long Island as he's put together better numbers although is struggling a bit this year with New York on the cusp of being in playoff contention but has 19 points.
A fairly expensive option however at $5M, he does have an additional year after this so it fulfills Toronto's need for term (which doesn't have to be three, four years extra). It's getting New York to either eat salary or get rid of some bloated contracts however it wouldn't cost them a big prospect.
Brad Treliving is going to more than likely make a trade sooner than later, and if he wanted to fly under the radar amongst the other big moves, but still make a splash then he should look no further than Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
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