Maple Leafs Open To Trading 3 Players Off Current Roster

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had quite the offseason, as general manager John Chayka has been cooking since day one on the job. The Leafs have also had some serious luck go their way, with winning the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, and now heading into Chayka's first season at the helm, the expectations have climbed significantly.

Chayka loves to wheel and deal, perhaps more than any other GM in the league, and he's already pulled off some significant trades, moving Joseph Woll, Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, and Dennis Hildeby. The Leafs are in a much better place roster wise heading into next season, but that doesn't mean there aren't more deals on the way.

Chayka continues to talk to other teams, and according to sources close to the Maple Leafs, has been open to including Morgan Rielly, Dakota Joshua, or Steven Lorentz in trade talks. All three players had down seasons last season, and while Rielly is the longest-tenured Leaf, Joshua only has one season under his belt, while Lorentz has a few. 

Rielly owns a no-movement clause, but has submitted a western conference-heavy list of teams he'd approve a trade to. He was linked to the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks earlier in the offseason, but the Sharks have changed directions, while the Ducks seem like the only hope for a trade at this point. Rielly prefers to stay in Toronto, him and his family love it there, but knows if the Leafs flat out don't want him anymore, he has to move on for what's best for both sides.

Joshua is signed for two more years, and the same goes for Lorentz. Joshua owns a 12-team no-trade clause and is set to earn $3.2 million, while Lorentz doesn't have any trade protection and is owed $1.3 million AAV. Between these two forwards, Lorentz has more trade value on the open market based on his salary, while the Leafs prefer to trade Joshua if they can, to help free up some cap space, as they're currently over the cap.