Welcome to what some say is the best time of the year, trade deadline season. The season where every hockey fan is reading every article they can find on trade rumours, wondering who their team will trade for to give them the edge on a deep playoff run and hopefully win the Stanley Cup. All of this is done as a way to pass the time until you see a hockey insider’s X notification with breaking news on the newest blockbuster trades. Let’s be honest, it’s the information we all live for.

While we wait for those X notifications with the actual trades, I’ve taken the trade rumours surrounding the potential centres the Toronto Maple Leafs could target ahead of the trade deadline and rank them 1-7.

Let’s be real, the Maple Leafs are great, but if they want to win the Stanley Cup, they are going to need an upgrade at the centre position, so here are seven guys I think could help them achieve that.

Current Team: Buffalo Sabres

Position: Centre

Age: 24

Contract: $7.1M AAV, UFA 2030

For me, it’s a no-brainer as to why Cozens should be the number one target for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline. I’m beyond shocked in the first place that the Buffalo Sabres are willing to give him up in a trade considering what happened the last time they traded a young top first-round pick (cough, Jack Eichel, cough). But here we are again, and the Toronto Maple Leafs should be trying everything they can to get Cozens.

Not only is he only 24 years old, six foot three, but he’s also under contract until 2030 with a team-friendly $7.1M AAV that should become a bargain with the type of player he is and with the salary cap going up by a lot in the coming years. Cozens’ best year so far was in 2022-23 when he recorded 31 goals and 68 points, but since then, he’s been just over a half point per game, including 30 points in 56 games this year.

Cozens’ style of play would fit right into the Maple Leafs while having another massive guy down the middle of the ice in a one-two punch with Auston Matthews for years to come, and with his recent slump, he might be the cheapest he’ll ever be.

Current Team: St. Louis Blues

Position: Centre

Age: 33

Contract: $6.5M AAV, UFA 2028

If Cozens is out of the question, I think the Brayden Schenn is the next logical trade target for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Schenn, a seasoned veteran, set to play in his 1000^th career NHL game is having a solid season once again. With 12 goals and 34 points in 59 games, he would be what the third line is missing in terms of offensive production.

The contract may be daunting at first with Schenn making $6.5M until 2028, taking him to 36 years old, but if the Maple Leafs were able to get the Blues to retain some of the salary or find a third team to take on some salary the contract could become in the $4M AAV, a lot more reasonable. Already having won a cup in 2019 with the Blues, Schenn would have an immediate connection inside the Maple Leafs dressing room with head coach Craig Berube. His relationship and knowing the way that Berube wants to play would pay dividends the rest of the regular season but would really pay off when it counts this spring.

Current Team: Philadelphia Flyers

Position: Centre

Age: 30

Contract: $3M AAV, UFA 2026

Two months ago, Scott Laughton would have been the number one option on this list, partly because he’s that good and partly because there really weren’t a lot of names floating around the Maple Leafs in terms of trade options. With the recent names coming up in trade rumours, I now view Laughton as the third guy on this list. While Laughton may lack some of the qualities I see in Cozens and Schenn, he is still a great player who would fit in with the Maple Leafs squad immediately and would give them the edge they’re missing.

The six-foot-one 30-year-old has already been playing a hard-nosed, physical 200-foot game of hockey under Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella, something that the Maple Leafs could really use. Having another year with his $3M AAV cap hit is a bonus, but Laughton finds himself third on the list due to the lack of offensive upside. With only 11 goals and 27 points in 56 games this season, four of those goals coming in one game, Laughton lacks the ability to constantly produce on the offensive side of the ice.

Current Team: Nashville Predators

Position: Centre

Age: 34

Contract: $4.5M AAV, UFA 2027

A familiar face could return to the Maple Leafs, one that I think would make a lot of people happy. Ryan O’Reilly realistically could come back to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2025 trade deadline after being acquired two years ago at the 2023 deadline. During his time with the Leafs in the 2023 season, he recorded four goals and 11 points in 13 games. You may be asking, if he did that, then why couldn’t he do that now and why shouldn’t he be higher on this list? All fair questions, but even though he may be producing at a second or third-line rate with 14 goals, and 34 points in 54 games, two years later at age 34, the defensive side of his game isn’t the same as it once was. If the three prior options are gone, I think O’Reilly would be the best available and would elevate the Maple Leafs, just not as much as the first three.

Current Team: New York Islanders

Position: Centre

Age: 33

Contract: $6M AAV, UFA 2025

Listen, Brock Nelson could be much higher on this list for multiple reasons, such as his 200-foot game, the ability to be an elite goal scorer and his large six-foot-four frame down the middle of the ice. All things that the Maple Leafs need on their third line to win the Stanley Cup. The problem for me with Nelson is he’s unlikely to be traded in the first place because it’s the New York Islanders and Lou Lamoriello that we’re talking about. Second, with Nelson being a rental I think the price tag will be unrealistic.

Current Team: Seattle Kraken

Position: Centre

Age: 33

Contract: $5.166M AAV, UFA 2025

Once upon a time, Yanni Gourde was a 64-point player in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning, helping lead them to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, and if that was the type of player the Maple Leafs would be getting in a trade then he would be the number one option on the list. But we’re talking about 2025 Yanni Gourde, a 33-year-old who hasn’t been healthy all year and only has six goals and 16 points in 35 games this season. If there is no other option available and the Seattle Kraken are willing to put Brandon Tanev or Jamie Oleksiak in the deal then this would make sense, but there are better options at this point.

Current Team: Anaheim Ducks

Position: Centre

Age: 31

Contract: $5M AAV, UFA 2027

I think if the Maple Leafs get a deal done for Ryan Strome and that is their big-ticket item of the 2025 trade deadline, it would be looked at as a disappointment. Strome was great from 2019 to 2022 with the New York Rangers, but since signing in Anaheim in 2022 he just hasn’t been the same, both offensively and defensively. Partly to blame is the time frame of being with the Ducks while going through a rebuild, but partly himself as he was brought in to be a good piece to surround the young guys and produce at a high level, and that just hasn’t happened.

Don’t get me wrong, he would make the Maple Leafs better, but barely.

Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!