The Toronto Maple Leafs could use an injection of offense. William Nylander has started the season with seven points in four games. Auston Matthews has scored three goals and shares the goal-scoring lead on the team with Calle Jarnkrok. While these are good numbers, it doesn’t hurt to add more firepower to the forward ranks.
Heavy.com proposed a trade that would see the Maple Leafs add Tage Thompson from the Buffalo Sabres to bolster the offense.
Maple Leafs Acquire:
- Tage Thompson ($7.14 million)
Sabres Acquire:
- Max Domi ($3.75 million)
- Matias Maccelli ($3.43 million)
- Nick Robertson ($1.83 million)
This big proposal is a win-win for both teams. The Maple Leafs add a talented young center with size, which gives their forward group some jump. The Sabres get a few pieces who could help them out this year and in the future.
This trade proposal has the Maple Leafs come out ahead by acquiring Thompson, 27. The 6-foot-6, 220 lb forward was initially drafted by the St. Louis Blues 26th overall in the 2016 draft. He recorded 44 goals and 72 points last year, playing in 76 games.
In return, the Sabres receive Max Domi, 30. The 5-foot-10, 208 lb forward was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in 2012. He played for the Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars before coming to Toronto.
The Sabres would also acquire Matias Maccelli. The 5-foot-11, 187 lb forward was drafted 98th overall in 2019 by the Coyotes. The 25-year-old forward recorded 18 points in 55 games last year and has one assist in four games this season.
Finally, the Sabres would add Nick Robertson. The long-speculated trade candidate also has one point in four games this year, after signing a one-year extension in the summer.
Tage Thompson is Everything the Maple Leafs Want
When looking at the best way to replace the lost offense of Mitch Marner, one of the best ways they can do that is by increasing goal-scoring. The best way they can improve their goal-scoring (aside from cloning Matthews) is to acquire Thompson.
After languishing in the Blues system, he was traded to the Sabres in July of 2018. After three seasons there, he finally got his breakout year in 2021-22. He scored 38 goals and 68 points while averaging 17:53 per game over 78 games.
The previous year, he recorded 14 points in 38 games, but only averaged 13:52 per game. The increased ice time and responsibility were precisely what the doctor ordered.
Thompson’s best season came the following year. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 47 goals, added 47 assists, and played 18:35 per game. In the two seasons since then, he has scored 29 goals and 44 goals, respectively.
Nick Robertson & Tage Thompson on the Block?
GettyCan the Maple Leafs pull off a trade to boost their offense in a big way?
On an October 14 episode of TSN’s Insider Trading, a few NHL insiders discussed matters related to the Maple Leafs and Sabres.
Darren Dreger talked about Robertson’s availability in a trade.
“He’s (Robertson) hoping for a larger role,” Dreger said on the panel. “Treliving has recently talked with clubs that may have some interest.”
“Maybe it’s time to give him a fresh start somewhere else.”
Chris Johnston reported on developments within the Sabres organization, which could affect Thompson’s future with the team.
“The heat is really already up for the Sabres,” Johnston shared with the same panel. “If they don’t start winning some games, certainly the feeling is Kevyn Adams the GM and everyone in that front office, there’s pressure to do something.”
Could the Sabres feel enough pressure to trade Thompson? Stranger things have happened to the Sabres.
Adding to that report was a report from Elliotte Friedman regarding Thompson and their ace blueliner, Rasmus Dahlin.
“We basically know that two of their franchise players, Dahlin and Thompson, have indicated that it has to get better this year,” Friedman revealed on the October 13 episode of 32 Thoughts. “The Sabres don’t have a long runway for this.”
Could there be a match here? Perhaps not, if the Sabres are focused on winning games, it might not make sense to trade away the team’s best player for a collection of players.
However, if Adams fails to do something, the organization could send him packing. If that happens, who knows what the new GM would do?
In the end, anything can happen, including the Maple Leafs adding an impressive 40-goal scorer to their roster.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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