Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten appears to have a long NHL career ahead of him, it just may not be wearing blue and white.

With GM Brad Treliving looking to upgrade down the middle of his lineup and find as high as a 2C or 3C before the trade deadline on March 7, Minten is quickly becoming a player to circle who may be heading back the other way. The Maple Leafs GM is a huge fan of the 20-year-old’s game, the only thing is, Minten may not be ready for a larger role on Toronto’s third line this season, and with Treliving being in a win-now mode in a wide-open Eastern Conference, unfortunately, to acquire talent, you have to give up talent, and Minten could be moved.

Toronto’s been linked to Philadelphia Flyers’ shut-down centre Scott Laughton, as it’s becoming clear that Treliving prefers to acquire players with term on their contract. Yes, don’t expect to see Minten moved for a rental, if he is included in a deal, it will be for a centre who has at least another season left on their deal, ideally more. The Flyers are an interesting trade partner, as reports have surfaced stating they’ve scouted Minten and are very high on his game. Meanwhile, Laughton is very familiar with several of the current Maple Leafs, knows his role and his strengths, and could be a good fit for the 3C role, but doesn’t have the two-way game to be a solid 2C and push fellow Oakville, ON native John Tavares down the depth chart.

There have also been reports indicating the Maple Leafs were among the teams interested in both Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues’ captain Brayden Schenn. Both centres can slot in among the Leafs’ top six, and are signed long term, as Cozens’ deal expires after the 2029-30 season, and Schenn’s after the 2027-28 season. If Treliving is landing either of these big fish, including Minten in the trade is much easier to swallow, and much more likely considering the sky-high asking price.

Other teams to watch as far as Leafs’ trades for centre help include the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks and Seattle Kraken. Each team has intriguing trade candidates who could fit the bill for Berube’s hockey club, down the middle of the ice.

One debate Leafs’ fans should be having throughout the next three weeks is if they’d rather move Minten, or fellow prospect Easton Cowan. They are Toronto’s top-two prospects, who play different styles, with Cowan more offensive and game-breaking with his speed and skill, meanwhile, Minten uses his smarts, positioning, and composure, and projects to be at least a shut-down 3C, with 2 C potential. The only thing is, do the Maple Leafs have time to wait for either of their potential to pop or should Treliving go all in before this season’s trade deadline and load up for what many hope is a successful Stanley Cup Playoff run?

Decisions, decisions, that’s why they pay Treliving the big bucks.