Leafs trade Josh Leivo to Canucks for Michael Carcone

The Leafs had a roster crunch and they dealt with it – trading forward Josh Leivo to Vancouver for 22-year-old forward Michael Carcone.

Josh Leivo is in his sixth season within the Leafs organization and the most he has played for the Leafs was this season. So it’s a little telling of what kind of player he has been so far.

This season, Leivo has played 27 games with an average TOI of 10:32 – destined to be a depth winger for the rest of his Leafs career, this move makes sense for both team and player. Within those 27 games, Leivo has scored four goals and two assists, so not completely empty when it comes to putting the puck in the back of the net.

The player that the Leafs got in exchange for Leivo is 22-year-old winger Michael Carcone. Carcone is exempt from waivers, so he automatically helps the Leafs roster problem.

An undrafted prospect from Ajax, ON, Carcone spent his junior career in the QMJHL with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, amassing a total of 130 points in 116 games for the club. In 2016-17 he signed with the Canucks and played with the Utica Comets in the AHL.

His first two years in professional hockey was not admirable, but this year the winger has really come out with a bang. Scoring six goals and eleven assists in 20 games for the AHL team is pretty impressive for a 22-year-old player that still has time to develop.

He was fourth on his team in scoring while on their third line next to Tony Cameranesi and Zack MacEwen, not the most hopeful of Canucks prospects.

The Leafs were able to solve their roster problem and get a young forward that can help the Marlies and has many more controllable years ahead of him.