Toronto Maple Leafs: 6 ideal forwards to target at trade deadline

Toronto Maple Leafs trade deadline target: Filip Forsberg

The idea to trade for Filip Forsberg directly correlates to Elliotte Friedman reporting in 31 Thoughts that the Leafs have inquired about the Nashville Predators’ top forward.

This would be a massive deal to figure out not just with Forsberg’s $6 million cap hit, but making a big enough offer for Nashville to even consider it. It might help that with the 26-year-old having one year left on his deal, David Poile has to figure out whether he can get him re-signed.

The obvious fit for Forsberg would be on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander who could definitely benefit from his skillset. It won’t be a cheap trade for Toronto but one that would definitely help the team now and even next season.

In order to make the salary work, the Leafs could pay a higher price for either the Predators or a third team to retain salary on Forsberg’s deal. Any trade will have to start with the Leafs’ first-round pick and probably Kerfoot as the starting points but how much more would Dubas have to add?

Considering Kerfoot has term left on his deal and can play on the second or third line, Toronto shouldn’t have to add much more in terms of prospect capital. Nick Robertson and Rasmus Sandin shouldn’t be included in any deals ahead of the deadline but the team can also include prospects like Topi Niemela, Roni Hirvonen or Nick Abruzzese.

This won’t mean anything unless Nashville commits to retooling the roster and get assets for Forsberg if they think he is on his way out.