The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the middle of what’s become a polarizing NHL Trade Deadline out of seemingly nothing. Although, that is quite literally why it’s become polarizing.

We’re nearing the March 7 3 PM deadline and it’s been radio silence from the Leafs’ corner. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning have bolstered their depth by reuniting with Yanni Gourde and bringing his teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand with him, and the Florida Panthers traded for Seth Jones to bolster their defensive corps after putting Matthew Tkachuk on IR.

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving did his best to temper expectations when meeting with the media earlier this week, noting that trading for the biggest fish on the market doesn’t always equal a successful deadline.

“Sometimes, moving the needle is small,” Treliving told reporters via Sportsnet. “Maybe it’s not the sexy, headline-grabbing move, but where are areas that you can shore up? And ultimately, what’s available? What’s the cost and how does it all fit in?”

Treliving has voiced his desire to acquire players with term on their contracts in the past, but that doesn’t entirely limit his options. He’s also been open about searching for a two-way centre who can shore up the third line behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares up the middle. Pair those two wishlist items together, and a centre with term sounds like a pretty good target for the deadline.

It’s no secret that two of the names that have been connected most to the Leafs are St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, a centre with three years on his contract after this season, and Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton, who has one year remaining on his deal after this season and has played centre for the majority of his career. Treliving has long been a believer in building your team in the offseason, so the fact that he takes a similar approach in terms of incoming contracts at the deadline isn’t surprising.

This all being said, it would be smarter for the Leafs to prioritize a winger with term if they plan to try and keep their top prospects. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be pursuing a centre, and I want to make that as clear as possible right now. If there’s a way they can get Domi out of the middle and let him relax on the wing a little bit, they should be taking that opportunity. But if they’re wanting to acquire somebody with a year or two left on his deal, they’d be better off leaving the 3C role open for Fraser Minten to claim next season.

Overall, the 2024-25 campaign has been a success for Minten. The Maple Leafs’ second-round pick in 2022 displayed his strong hockey IQ and defensive instincts early, getting a look in the NHL for four games in 2023-24 before being sent back to junior. After battling back from an injury in preseason, he started the season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, and after recording four points in his first nine games, he earned his second call-up to the NHL. He scored two goals and added two assists for four points in 15 games with the Maple Leafs, but you could tell watching him play that he had put on some weight and was better prepared to handle the speed and physicality of the NHL.

Minten is just coming off of a bad slump with the Marlies which makes his AHL numbers to date look slightly less appealing, with six goals and 13 points in 26 games, but the important factor outside of anything AHL related is that he earned some semblance of trust from his head coach, Craig Berube. He had a couple of impressive games in the NHL, including a one-goal, five-hit performance against the Chicago Blackhawks, and a seven-hit, five-shot game against the Nashville Predators. Sure, none of this screams ‘next Matthews’, but it’s inspiring to see him that involved in the game as a 20-year-old and inspires hope that he’ll be ready for a full-time NHL role next season.

With Minten coming to camp bigger, stronger, and with even more experience under his belt, he should be given the first crack at carving out a third-line role next season. Of course, it’s easy to say this now. We have no idea what the team might look like following another playoff run, draft, and free agency period, and for all we know, Minten might be on the way out at this deadline already.

But if he’s not, and if the Leafs opt to use other assets to upgrade their forward group, it would be wise to pursue a cheaper centre with an expiring contract and a winger who can stick around and contribute beyond this season. When your team enters the 2025-26 season with one forward making north of $13 million, one making $11.5, and another who will likely command somewhere north of $12 million if he returns, you’re going to need cheap depth to fill out the rest of your roster, and there’s few better places to do that than your own system.

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!