Maple Leafs reportedly working on blockbuster move for top-six forward

As soon as the free agent market opened on July 1st, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving looked to fill the void left by the departure of Mitch Marner in Toronto. Nothing materialized over the summer, but now, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, the Leafs are back on a serious hunt for a bona fide top-six forward coming to Toronto.

“My understanding from talking to sources is [Leafs GM] Treliving continues to consider his options in terms of bringing in another forward.”

The report echoes with what insider Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week before Toronto’s home opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. As he gave updates on some of the teams across the NHL, Friedman too hinted at a potential trade for that top six forward.

“Other things to watch once the phones start to buzz: Vancouver continuing its search for a centre; Toronto a top-six forward; Carolina always lurking.”

Friedman went a step further hinting at a monster trade that could see the Maple Leafs going after none other than Nashville Predators’ Filip Forsberg.

“One name to keep an eye on is Filip Forsberg. I’m hearing Nashville might look to move him. Now, I’m not saying this, but I am wondering if that’s something that Treliving and the Leafs will be looking into,” Friedman revealed on Monday’s edition of 32 Thoughts podcast on Sportsnet.

Ever since he entered the league, Forsberg has been a perennial 20+ goal-scorer and he’s got the size and grit head coach Craig Berube would love to add to his roster.

The issue in Toronto is that, aside from the lack of assets to offer in return, there is little room for Forsberg’s salary as he’s currently playing the fourth year of an eight-year contract, which carries an $8.5M cap hit.

I doubt the Predators would accept to trade their top forward for bottom-six forwards like Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf, and offering Nick Robertson wouldn’t be enough either.

The season has just gotten underway and so, there is time to make necessary moves in Toronto, but if the Leafs want to solidify their top-six, and if Nashville is eager to move on from their long-time forward, it might be better to strike a deal ooner than later to avoid being outbid at the deadline and missing out on the legitimate top-six forward they’ve been looking for.