Toronto Maple Leafs Could Land 2nd Line Center Without Trading Their First-Round Pick
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the chance to bring Mikael Granlund to to only shore up their offensive depth, but do so at a much more reasonable cost.
With Brad Treliving looking to make a splash in order to add some much needed extra firepower to his team, as well as bring in a defensively sound pivot to man the third line.
So in that case, Toronto should work hard to acquire the best possible piece they can, and they could find him by doing business with a team they have history with already this season and trade for San Jose's Mikael Granlund.
The Price Is Right For Mikael Granlund
It's not hard to see why Toronto should acquire the Finnish forward. A former 9th round pick in 2010, he's quietly been one of the league's most reliable producers.
Known as more of a playmaker, Granlund can still put the puck in the net. He has 168 goals and 408 assists in 853 games with Minnesota, Nashville, Pittsburgh, and San Jose while adding above average faceoff skills and a great knack for defense.
He doesn't make mental errors, knows where to be on the ice and uses his quickness to sneak in and disrupt opponents given his smaller size. Also a decent playoff scorer, Granlund has 32 points in 59 games during the postseason.
He would fit perfectly with Craig Berube's system as while he isn't the biggest guy, he's gritty and plays hard, also not afraid to block some shots too; something Toronto has heavily improved on this season.
He's not the cheapest option at $5M per season, and it might be difficult to pull the Sharks assistant captain away as they would love to have him around during their rebuild, though they wouldn't need to part with their 2026 first rounder. The Leafs have more than enough forward assets and contracts to be able to swing a deal.
Toronto already worked out a deal earlier in the year with the Sharks, one that sent disgruntled defenseman Timothy Liljegren out of town. They could be willing to work on a deal again, this time with the Maple Leafs coming out with that center they desperately need to acquire.
