The Toronto Maple Leafs would've never expected they'd be in last place in their division at Christmas.
There's still plenty of time, though, and the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division is pretty bunched up. The Leafs can make up ground.
They might be able to help themselves by pulling off a trade or two between now and the early March NHL trade deadline.
The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun is looking ahead in a new article, and he's got an idea: He suggests the Maple Leafs trade for the Nashville Predators' Jonathan Marchessault.
"One can argue the last thing the struggling Leafs need is another aging player," LeBrun writes. "But hear me out. The Leafs don’t have many assets to trade. For the Predators, this would be more about moving the remainder of the contract — three more seasons after this one at a $5.5 million cap hit. The Leafs would still have to trade assets, but it wouldn’t be as costly as other trade targets they’ve looked at."
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Marchessault has a full no-movement clause, but he could certainly waive that in order to join an intriguing team.
The Maple Leafs don't have their own first-round pick in either 2026 or 2027, LeBrun points out, which makes a full-on tank and rebuild a bit tougher to do.
The 34-year old Marchessault has played in 28 games this season and has seven goals and three assists.
He's not the player he once was, but he could be helpful for a team in need of a spark.
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