The Toronto Maple Leafs could use another top-six winger, and they could look to re-acquire a familiar name.
Heavy.com has a trade idea that sees the Maple Leafs acquiring Ilya Mikheyev from the Chicago Blackhawks in an intriguing deal.
Maple Leafs acquire:
Blackhawks acquire:
- Nick Robertson
- Calle Jarnkrok
- 2027 fourth-round pick
The proposed deal would be an interesting one as Toronto would re-acquire Mikheyev to bolster its top-six for a mid-round pick, a young NHL forward, and another NHL forward to make the salary work.
The Maple Leafs would re-acquire Mikheyev, who’s entering the final year of his four-year, $19 million deal. Mikheyev could play on the Maple Leafs’ top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. He would add some speed to the lineup and the ability to score, as he did play with Matthews at times during his tenure. He recorded 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points in 80 games last season.
In return, the Maple Leafs would give up a fourth-round pick and Robertson as the two key parts of the deal. Robertson doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, but with Chicago, he could fit in better as they are a young, rebuilding team. Robertson recorded 15 goals and 7 assists for 22 points in 69 games.
The Maple Leafs would also deal Jarnkrok to help make the salaries work. Jarnkrok is in the final year of his four-year, $8.4 million deal, and like Robertson, doesn’t have a clear path to playing time. He dealt with injuries last season as he skated in 19 games, recording 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points.
Mikheyev Was a Successful Winger For the Maple Leafs
Toronto signed Mikheyev as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and his career with the Maple Leafs was up-and-down.
Mikheyev did request a trade due to a lack of playing time, but Toronto opted not to trade him, and he ended up having a ton of success.
The Russian forward finished his Maple Leafs career with 36 goals and 36 assists for 72 points in 146 games. However, his final season was his best as he got an opportunity to play in the top-six and had 21 goals and 11 assists for 32 points.
Mikheyev parlayed that success into a contract with the Vancouver Canucks, but since then, he hasn’t been able to find that success again.
So, perhaps the Maple Leafs look to re-acquire Mikheyev to see if he can play in the top-six and help be a potential high-reward option to replace Mitch Marner.
Maple Leafs Looking to Trade Some Forwards
Toronto has an excess of forwards and is looking to make some moves.
The Maple Leafs are linked to signing Jack Roslovic, but before they do that, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed the Maple Leafs are trying to move money out.
“I’ve heard there’s still a few teams looking at him. He’s the best available player remaining,” Friedman said about Roslovic. “Obviously, he hasn’t found anything he 100 percent likes, but there’s definitely a few teams poking around there. I’ve heard five or six, so he has to get to something he’s comfortable with, and we know with Toronto, they’re trying to move money around.”
Toronto’s most likely trade options are Robertson, Jarnkrok, David Kampf, and Bobby McMann.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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