As the trade deadline inches closer I am reminded of the timeless words of Homer Simpson and hope that Brad Treliving will take them to heart, “Although I wasn’t able to cut everyone I wanted to, I have cut a lot of you.”

Knowing that on Saturday the Toronto Maple Leafs will need to still have 18 skaters and two goaltenders ready to go against Tampa, a dramatic scorched earth approach to the roster seems unlikely. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing but there is still the logistics of negotiating with different organizations on deals involving around a dozen players and then ensuring that the outcomes of those trades are something that actually benefits the organization and either allows Brad Treliving to keep his job or helps make a case for future employment with another organization. Nonetheless, they got a head start on things after trading Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

Given the time and resources it’s probably worth considering what are the best trade chips the Leafs currently possess and what they can get for them, largely from a draft pick perspective. It’s worth noting that many of these players could see their trade value elevated through salary retention or the Maple Leafs taking on a salary dump in the process (Calle Jarnkrok for Patrik Laine could very well be a deal that nets the Maple Leafs a first depending on what the Canadiens need to accomplish), but rather than focusing on the outlying circumstances, here are the values of the most likely Leafs on the market.

Given the hot and cold nature of Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s career it seems like cashing out when he is hot is a no brainer. Throw in the fact that OEL has experience winning a Stanley Cup, a very manageable cap hit, and term, there should be a team somewhere around the NHL that is ready to offer up a first round pick for Ekman-Larsson. Presumably if the Oilers had a 2026 first round pick the deal would be done already but deferring the pick for a year might not be in the Maple Leafs best interest (OEL’s no trade list might have also forced the Oilers to go in the Connor Murphy direction).

More than any other player with term on the Maple Leafs roster, Ekman-Larsson is the player it makes sense to move and it would be a misstep for him to be a Maple Leaf by the weekend. It’s entirely possible that a highly regarded prospect or young roster player could replace the first as that also fits with the fact that the Maple Leafs should be targeting a retooling of the roster not a full blown rebuild at this point.

Since returning from injury Anthony Stolarz is looking like the goaltender he was for the Maple Leafs in 2024-25. That’s great and the Maple Leafs could use that in 2026-27 as well. The catch is the Maple Leafs don’t have a ton of high-end trade chips to cash out on and there should be a ton of interest in reliable goaltending that can excel behind lousy defence.

With Dennis Hildeby emerging as a capable tandem partner/back up to Joseph Woll, the Leafs might want to explore what they can do with Stolarz.

20-goal scorers in the NHL are rarer than you think and with McMann sitting at 19 goals it is probably safe to him that label for the season. There is also something to being able to go big in the playoff arms race and a $1.35M AAV is something that every team can accommodate.

One would hope that the Maple Leafs talk about re-signing McMann is just posturing and they know what they need to do here. A first round pick would be a delight but if a second round pick is the best the Maple Leafs can find on Friday afternoon there is no reason to stand in the way of Bobby McMann and the playoffs.

The numbers for Laughton might not be at Bobby McMann’s level but the fact that Laughton is a penalty killing centre that can move around the lineup keeps his value pretty high. Laughton only being a $1.5M AAV commitment is also pretty palatable and although he doesn’t have the term he did when the Leafs brought him in last season, the Leafs can still hope that desperation for centres at this time of year can allow them to recoup a valuable asset.

Like McMann, Laughton is at the very least worth a second round pick and if that is the best Brad Treliving can do by Friday afternoon, he might as well take it.

Try not to think about what the Maple Leafs paid for Brandon Carlo because while Toronto should have known better about what they had in Fraser Minten, there was certainly no one in the organization that believed they were giving up a draft pick that could land in the top ten overall.

The reality is that Carlo’s time in Toronto has caused his stock to plummet and arguably even last season he was at best worth a second round pick. Carlo is still a physical right shot defenceman that with the right partner can make a difference and the Maple Leafs would probably do themselves, Carlo, and their fans a service by moving on from Brandon.

Robertson’s consistency is probably his biggest drawback from getting the Leafs a significant return, but he’s young and even if not a 20-goal scorer yet, he continues to show that 20-goal potential while being a very affordable addition to a playoff roster.

Maccelli likely requires some salary retention to get him into the scope of being a potential second round pick but even if the Maple Leafs can only recoup a third for him, it’s probably worth it.

Maccelli has shown a lot of promise for the Maple Leafs and would be worth keeping around but the catch is that he isn’t signed and his $4.25M salary (which is higher than his $3.425M cap hit) means that he presents an interesting challenge when it comes to qualifying him as an RFA and overpaying for a 0.5ppg player with consistency challenges isn’t how the Maple Leafs get better.

If there is a team that views Maccelli with more promise or sees him as a good value add if the Leafs eat some salary or take someone with negative value back, cashing out seems like the right call.

Playing with Auston Matthews has hopefully created a bit of trade value around Max Domi and while it’s hard to see teams viewing him as worth his $3.75M AAV deal, if the Maple Leafs shave a little bit off of that, he starts looking like a playmaker with a bit of edge to his game that can play centre if needed.

There are only so many centres available that are top six capable available and maybe Max Domi starts looking like a plausible Plan B for someone by the end of the week.

Dakota Joshua at $3.25M AAV is a disaster but Dakota Joshua at $1.625M AAV with two seasons after 2025-26 starts looking like a savvy depth move for a team wanting playoff toughness with some offensive upside.

It’s hard to imagine that without salary retention Joshua moves and without retaining a lot to maximize his value it’s probably just better for the Maple Leafs to run Joshua back next season.

Simon Benoit is the depth stay-at-home defenceman move that we frequently see at the trade deadline and the Maple Leafs themselves have been frequent participants in. It might not be a 2026 3rd round pick but there is some GM out there that will give the Maple Leafs a 3rd or 4th in one of the upcoming drafts for Benoit and I can’t imagine it would take a lot of negotiating to pull this one off.

Jarnkrok has been a pretty serviceable Leaf that is now having the additional challenge of his age catching up with him. He’s a strong depth add for any team that is looking for exactly that and if they don’t need to retain salary to bring him in a fifth is a pretty minimal price to pay for a team that wants trustworthy depth forward options on what they are hoping will be a long playoff run.

If Jarnkrok can’t net a fifth round pick the Maple Leafs might be better off keeping a versatile veteran around their locker room in the final days of the season.

The Maple Leafs taking an extended look at the young defenceman wouldn’t be a bad outcome but if the team is strongly leaning towards Thrun not being a fit, cashing out rather than simply not qualifying him also makes sense.

If there is someone out there who wants to give Benning or for that matter Travis Boyd, or Vinni Lettieri a look in the NHL this season why not pull the trigger so Toronto can pick up a 2029 conditional seventh round pick or an AHLer that the Leafs brass is mildly curious about checking out.

Depending on how deep the cuts go on the Maple Leafs, these also might be the players that Toronto relies on to have a full lineup card though, but a more youthful approach there would probably be more beneficial.

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th, from 11 AM-3:30 PM ET for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.