The Toronto Maple Leafs lost one of their more important players this summer. Mitch Marner received a ton of criticism during his time in Ontario. However, the superstar winger was one of the best players on the team. And he may be one of the best Toronto-born Maple Leafs of all time.
Marner elected not to remain in Toronto after the team’s elimination in the postseason at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Right before NHL Free Agency began, Toronto sent Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal. The Maple Leafs received center Nicolas Roy in return.
Toronto did do some work to try and replace Marner this summer. For instance, they traded for Matias Maccelli in a deal with the Utah Mammoth. The 24-year-old Maccelli could certainly become one of the better playmakers on the team, given a much-improved supporting cast. However, this is the only move they’ve made for a top-six forward.
The Maple Leafs should remain one of the best teams in the NHL. In saying this, they could stand to add a forward to their ranks. With this in mind, Heavy.com is proposing the following trade between the Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins:
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire:Â Bryan Rust (no salary retained)
Pittsburgh Penguins acquire:Â Nick Robertson, David Kampf, an unconditional 2028 first-round pick, and a conditional 2026 third-round pick that becomes a 2027 second-round pick if Toronto makes the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bryan Rust Owns Impressive Championship Pedigree
Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesBryan Rust has won two Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rust has enjoyed a very solid career in the NHL to this point. The former third-round pick has amassed 203 goals and 437 points across 638 games. In recent seasons, he’s shown that he can score at a very high level. In the last two campaigns, he has scored 59 goals and 121 points in 133 games.
What makes Rust a valuable player, though, goes beyond the scoresheet. He has proven to be a fantastic locker room presence over the last few seasons. He could provide a much-needed voice for Toronto when the stakes get high.
The Maple Leafs could also covet his championship pedigree. Rust won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in the first two postseasons of his career. And he turned in impressive performances in both runs. He scored 13 goals and 18 points in 46 games across both playoff runs as a player in his early-20s.
Maple Leafs Could Use Added Scoring Depth
The Maple Leafs are going to rely on their remaining stars to pick up the slack in Marner’s abscence. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares are going to need to step up in a major way.
However, they could still use a bit of scoring depth. Five players scored more than 25 goals in 2024-25. And another player — Bobby McCann — scored 20. Marner was one of the 25+ goal scorers, and there are reasons to expect a step back from some of their other high-end scorers.
Rust has the ability to score 25-30 goals a season. And he can do so rather reliably. He would be a fantastic addition for a Maple Leafs team seeking to end its longstanding Stanley Cup drought.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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