Former 30-goal scorer from the Pittsburgh Penguins becoming genuine trade target for Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt with plenty of injuries this year, and now Pittsburgh's Rickard Rakell has been linked to the team via trade as one team struggles while the Maple Leafs are ascending.
Despite boasting an impressive 14-7-2 record through 23 games this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt with a wealth of injuries, with Nick Robertson, Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty, and Max Domi among others missing significant time.
While Matthews and Robertson are now back and the duo of Pacioretty and Domi aren't far behind, the Maple Leafs likely won't want to rely on two rookies in their lineup as they have thus far, and it may force them to make an addition.
This team has far fewer holes than they have in recent years however, so the confidence is much higher than we've seen before, so who could fill their hole for depth up front without costing too much?
In a recent piece for The Athletic, Josh Yohe noted that Rickard Rakell is seemingly on his way out of Pittsburgh, and it's safe to say that he could be a perfect middle-six addition for Toronto given their injuries.
In 26 games played this season, Rakell has an impressive 10 goals and 15 points while carrying a +2 differential on a struggling team, making him the perfect trade candidate for a team that is clearly ready to sell unless they can turn things around in a hurry.
On top of that, Rakell is owed $5 million a year over the next four seasons, and given his production, there's no doubt that Toronto would be the perfect destination for the 31-year-old.
Ultimately, it appears to be a matter of when, not if that Rakell is moved by the Penguins, and if the Leafs want to sure up their top-six, expect some conversations to begin soon between Brad Treliving and Kyle Dubas.
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