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Friedman: Maple Leafs willing to trade assets for a centre with term
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
Shane Seney
Dec 30, 2024, 14:30 ESTUpdated: Dec 30, 2024, 14:42 EST
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The NHL’s trade deadline is just over two months away, and expectation is brewing that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving will be busy.
There’s been growing speculation about the Maple Leafs having interest in landing some more centre depth, and according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Treliving is willing to spend assets on landing some help, but prefers centres who have term left on their contract.
Friedman was a guest on The FAN 590’s The Fan Hockey Show and shed some light on what to expect out of the Maple Leafs.
“Well, you know, I think that’s the number one thing he’s (Treliving) been looking at all season,” Friedman stated when asked about Treliving’s interest in adding a centre. “Aside from the injuries, I think they’re pretty comfortable in goal…Stolarz and Woll, knock on wood they stay healthy, I think they’ll be ok with them.”
“I think they’ve generally been ok with their D, they did a lot of their work in the offseason. I think now there’s a question if they need to go find someone to play with Morgan Rielly. Is there a stylistic fit out there they like? But, it’s not their number one priority, I don’t believe. I believe their number one thing all season has been – let’s find another centre.”
The Maple Leafs have dealt with injury troubles all season long, including currently with captain Auston Matthews still nursing an upper-body injury. While John Tavares continues to quiet the doubters, playing at over a point-a-game pace, with some inconsistencies among the depth of their roster, Friedman sees the Leafs zeroing in on adding another piece down the middle.
“Now, I think their preference is term. That’s one thing I’ve heard out there, is that their preference is term. I mean, if there’s a rental they really like, I’m sure they’ll pivot to that too. But, one of the things I’ve heard, is that if they’re going to spend assets on a centre, they would prefer it to be someone with term.”
The Maple Leafs currently sit with just over $600,000 in deadline cap space, and don’t have a 2025 first-round pick to dangle ahead of the deadline. There’s no doubt Treliving will need to get creative if he’s looking to add an impact player to the middle of Toronto’s lineup.

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