Maple Leafs' Defensive Prospect Could Find His Way Into Trade Rumors

Brad Treliving is proving to be a solid general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs after one year and there is still more he will do to make the team even more prepared for the playoffs and to chase a Stanley Cup.

The Maple Leafs recently acquired Nic Roy for the signing rights to Mitch Marner as he was headed to free agency. Now he flipped Ryan Reaves for a young defenseman in Henry Thrun. The team looks strong, but there will be more upgrades coming at some point, and according to David Pagnotta, he said that "I've started to hear Ben Danford's name as a piece that they might consider to dangle."

This makes sense even though Danford is one of the most promising young defensemen in the organization. With Thrun just brought in and the other six defensemen signed through 2027, there isn't an immediate place for Danford in the NHL, not that he is even ready. Sometimes it's best to package the future to win right now. What player Toronto can get with Danford remains to be seen. He could even just stay put and develop into a Maple Leafs defenseman down the line.

Danford is signed to his entry-level deal and he will be a RFA in 2028. If he sticks with the Maple Leafs, there is a possibility he sees a small amount of NHL playing time by then. But defensemen have a tougher time breaking into the NHL early unless a team is clearly rebuilding like the Chicago Blackhawks or San Jose Sharks. The NHL isn't a development league and the Maple Leafs aren't built to have space for undeveloped players to come into the lineup.

Danford is 19 years old and put up five goals and 25 points in 61 games for the Oshawa Generals last season. That's not that impressive, but he is known more for his strong defensive play and leadership, so his value is still high and he's playing how he's expected to. We see other contenders trade away their future for help right now and the Maple Leafs have the space to add, so why not utilize that space at some point this season and consider Danford as a trade option to get what they want?