According to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ trade interest in landing a centre is very real. Friedman states Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving is doing what he can to land as high as a 2C, meanwhile, due to limited trade resources, may have to settle for less.

Friedman touched on the Maple Leafs trade aspirations in his latest 32 Thoughts blog, and shed some light on what could be shaking up for Toronto ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. “Toronto is seeing how high it can go at centre. Won’t be easy, and might not be able to shoot as high as a 2C, but the Leafs are looking. First-round picks matter, and they don’t have one in June.”

The Leafs 2025 first-round pick was moved by former GM Kyle Dubas, who sent the pick, top-10 protected, to the Chicago Blackhawks in Feb.2023. This deal landed the Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe, who Treliving has re-signed, and who has blossomed into a very valuable top-four defenceman.

As far as draft-pick trade capital goes, Treliving has a 2025 second-round pick that holds value, and the Leafs first-rounders in 2026 onwards. At this point, considering he joined Toronto’s front office a couple of years ago, it’s much more likely he parts with some prospects that he’s not necessarily keen on from when Dubas was drafting. One prospect, in particular, is Fraser Minten, who Treliving loves, but Minten has untapped potential that could help land the Maple Leafs a second-line impactful centre.

Toronto has a projected $3.8 million in deadline cap space but does have some roster decisions looming with goaltender Anthony Stolarz set to return, as well as Calle Jarnkrok and Connor Dewar getting closer to action.

When it comes to potential trade targets, Buffalo Sabres’ Dylan Cozens makes a ton of sense for the Maple Leafs, and someone with term, which Treliving prefers. As far as rentals go, Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders is a prime trade candidate, as well as Jake Evans from the Montreal Canadiens and Yanni Gourde of the Seattle Kraken, who is recovering from recent surgery.

Friedman thinks the Maple Leafs are working the phones for help down the middle of the ice. It’s just going to come down to just how much Treliving wants to pay to upgrade his roster.