A new trade proposal has emerged online between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks, including multiple key players.
The deal would see the Leafs sending out future assets as well as one of their current top-six defensemen in order to shore up their forward depth, something the organization has struggled with in recent years. Granted, the team does not exactly have a plethora of blueliners to deal out either, but the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman Larsson this summer make a move like this a bit more plausible. Here’s how the proposal looks:
Maple Leafs get: Ryan Strome, Brett Leason
Ducks get: Timothy Liljegren, Topi Niemela, 2025 second-round pick (Florida’s)
Strome has never really lived up to expectations since he was drafted 5th overall in 2011. His single-season record for goals is just 19 and points is 59.
Furthermore, he is known for his lack of scoring touch, highlighted by one play in the playoffs last season where he fanned on a wide open net against the Lightning.
That being said, he has been a steady and consistent depth performer throughout his career. Even the last two seasons, which he has spent on the horrific Anaheim Ducks, were good for him, as he put up 41 points back-to-back. Brett Leason on the other hand, remains young, which is a plus, but only recorded a career high of 22 points last season. He might not even crack the every day roster in Toronto, but is another depth piece they can rely on.
From the Ducks perspective, they would be getting future assets in the 2nd round draft pick and defensive prospect Topi Niemela. However, the highlight of the package is certainly Liljegren, who put up 3 goals and 23 points in 55 games for the Leafs last year. He has steadily become a legit two-way defender at the NHL level.
Would the Ducks really be interested in this package though? That is tough to say. The team already has a log-jam on defense, particularly in their prospect pool, so they may not value a guy like Niemela very much. Would the Leafs want to trade Liljegren at this point? Maybe, but that is also hard to say. We will just have to wait and see what happens.
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