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Toronto Maple Leafs: Five logical trade partners to help improve the team

By David Morassutti

TORONTO - NOVEMBER 20: A general view of action during the NHL game between the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on November 20, 2006 in Toronto, Ontario. The Maple Leafs beat the Islanders 4-2.(Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
TORONTO - NOVEMBER 20: A general view of action during the NHL game between the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on November 20, 2006 in Toronto, Ontario. The Maple Leafs beat the Islanders 4-2.(Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images) /
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Anaheim Ducks
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Jacob Larsson /

Anaheim Ducks

If there is a team that makes the most sense when it comes to making a trade for a defenceman it is the Ducks. After trading Shea Theodore to the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim was able to keep their blueline intact.

The team recently extended Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson which keeps them in good shape in the future. Sami Vatanen still has two more years left on his contract after this season and will have $5-million of cap space once Kevin Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin come off the books.

While the team has one of the deepest core of defencemen in the league, they still struggle to replicate that upfront. This season injuries have impacted the Ducks top-six with Ryan Kesler out with an extended period and Ryan Getzlaf so it puts them in two situations.

If the Ducks are able to tread water and get through this tough stretch of injuries, they could look to look to add at the trade deadline. However, there is only so much a team can do without their elite players in the lineup

This could be the chance for both the Leafs and Ducks to make a move that can help each other out once again.

The Ducks have some forwards who are defensively reliable especially on the penalty kill which would provide the Leafs with some much needed depth there. Players like Andrew Cogliano, and Antoine Vermette are pending UFAs, so they could come at a reasonable cost for the Leafs.

When it comes to the blueline, the Ducks have done a great job drafting and developing defencemen. Brandon Montour has stepped in and done a great job with Fowler out of the lineup. However, the team still has another good prospect that could be what the Leafs are looking for.

In the 2015 draft, the Ducks selected Jacob Larsson 25th overall and joined the team last season from the Swedish Hockey League. He is a smart two-way defenceman that still needs to add some muscle but has played a couple of games at the NHL level.

They also have Marcus Pettersson who has a bulking frame and is a productive player on the power play. Like Larsson, he still has work to do to add to his big frame but he has a lot of potential.

Obviously Larsson would be the ideal target with his mobility and considering the Ducks are in need of some help upfront, the Leafs might be able to get him without giving up a major piece of the core.

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