The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to add some secondary scoring to the roster, and one analyst links them to a future Olympian.
NHL analyst Gordon Munro of EditorinLeaf links the Maple Leafs to trading for Lukas Reichel of the Chicago Blackhawks.
“He is a skilled forward who has spent the vast majority of the season playing bottom-six minutes with veterans Craig Smith and Pat Maroon… In the Leafs system, he could be put in a good spot on a line with star players like John Tavares, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews,” Munro wrote. “Doing this may be able to get the best out of him, especially with Mitch Marner likely to sign elsewhere this summer.
“Acquiring potential buy-low candidates is how the Leafs will be able to better navigate a post-Marner world. And better utilize their capspace to fill out their forward depth,” Munro added. “If Treliving and Co. are able to make meaningful improvements to the team’s depth and take a few chances on players that pay off, it could be all the difference in a cup run.”
Reichel is entering the final year of his two-year, $2.4 million deal. Given he’s entering the final year of his deal, Chicago could look to move him to get something back.
Reichel would be a good middle-six forward for the Maple Leafs and add some depth scoring. He recorded 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 70 games. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Reichel Named to Germany’s Olympic Team
NHL players will be back at the Olympics in 2026, and all the teams named six players to their rosters.
Germany announced Reichel as one of their six players for the team. Reichel joins Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, Moritz Seider, Nico Sturm, and goalie Philipp Grubauer as the six named to Germany’s Olympic roster.
Reichel and Sturm were a bit of a surprise being named to the team ahead of JJ Peterka. Peterka has been a better overall player in the NHL. But, Germany opted to name Reichel as one of the first six players.
The Olympics are set for Feb. 6-22 in Milan, Italy.
Maple Leafs GM Looking to Change the Margins
Toronto had another playoff disappointment, losing in the second round to the Florida Panthers.
After the playoff exit, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said the DNA needs to change. However, Treliving says that doesn’t mean overhauling the roster, and instead, looking to make some marginal changes.
“The margins are really, really thin,” Treliving said. “I don’t believe that you have to go and change 20 players. It’s not always about that. It is about what we can do to help our guys, what we can do to find guys who can help. And if there is a change to be made to our team, how do we bring people in who have a mindset like that?”
Treliving, meanwhile, says the series loss to the Panthers will stay with him for a while as he reshapes the Maple Leafs roster.
“That series is going to stay with me for a long time,” Treliving said. “The way it ended will stay with me for a long time. It would stay with me if it was 2-1 in triple overtime. When you think you have a chance to win and you don’t, it stays with you.”
Toronto has nearly $26 million in cap space this offseason.
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