Toronto Maple Leafs trade deadline preview: Who should be on Dubas’ wish list

Radko Gudas or Colin Miller

I decided to pair these two together, because there is no certainty that either one gets moved before the deadline.

There was a lot of talk about Gudas being available since the Philadelphia Flyers were supposed to be in sell mode. They are nine points out of the final wild-card spot but not bad enough to have a high chance of winning the draft lottery.

They should be selling players like Gudas and Wayne Simmonds and unfortunately, the Leafs haven’t been linked to either one at the moment. Simmonds is probably going to a team that desperately needs to add to their second or third line and while Toronto could use a player like him, they would probably prefer to use the assets elsewhere; that’s where Gudas comes in.

Aside from the suspensions, Gudas has qualities the Toronto Maple Leafs could use; strong physical play and good at preventing dangerous scoring chances. He also does a good job at making stretch passes, which is something the Leafs like to do.

The 28-year-old has one more year on his deal at $3.35 million, which would be a great contract to acquire as he would easily replace Hainsey this season and next and is a right shot. Whether Philly is willing to move him for a reasonable rate remains to be seen, but expect them to want more than what Detroit got for Nick Jensen (a second rounder and Madison Bowey).

Miller’s name popped up recently, because he was a healthy scratch for the Vegas Golden Knights. Austin Owens wrote about what the 26-year-old can bring and he has two more years left at $3.875 million.

He is the ideal player for Dubas (he played for the Greyhounds!) and he won’t cost as much as Pesce or Hamilton, so why not do it? Part of the reason could be George McPhee not wanting to deal a valuable defenceman while his value is low, but at this point anything can happen.