Rumored trade between the Leafs and Pens “would be a perfect fit.”

The trade talk in the National Hockey League is picking up very quickly as the holiday season closes in, and now we have rumors of a potential trade deal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.

In a recent article for The Hockey News, reporter Matt Larkin touched on the fact that the Penguins are in need of depth at center due to both the loss of veteran forward Nick Bonino as well as the seemingly regular injuries to superstar Evgeni Malkin.

Both of these problems combined lead Larkin to believe that general manager Jim Rutherford's top priority must be to find a center, and he believes that the perfect fit would be found on the Maple Leafs roster.

From Larkin:

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Better yet, Rutherford must start looking at more realistic No. 3 center options, guys who can replace Bonino’s production. Pending UFA Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs would be a perfect fit. Even if Malkin’s injury turns out to be minor, you know there’s another one coming. He doesn’t play 80- or even 70-game seasons anymore. If Pittsburgh wants to start separating itself from the Metropolitan Division pack, it needs an influx of depth. 

It would be an interesting move from a contender like the Maple Leafs to trade a player like Bozak to another playoff team, however if they don't believe this is their year and also have no plans to re-sign Bozak, getting some value for the future might be the smart play. 

As for what the Leafs would seek in return? Larkin didn't touch on that but the Maple Leafs have consistently been searching for help on the blue line. While that is not a position at which the Penguins have a great deal of depth, it's almost certainly what the Maple Leafs would be targeting in a deal of this magnitude.