Maple Leafs Eye Blockbuster Trade As They Look For Second Or Third Line Center
The Maple Leafs are looking for ways to improve for a playoff push and would like a second to third-line centerman, and they've been linked to one.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for a centerman before the March 7 trade deadline in the hopes of adding depth to their second or third line.
Casey Mittelstadt could be a target for the Leafs
One target is Casey Mittelstadt, a player who is in the first season of a three-year, $17.25 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche. Though he signed long-term, his name has come up in trade speculation.
Mittelstadt has appeared in 55 games this season, recording nine goals and 23 assists for 32 points.
He's struggled to find a rhythm since being traded to Colorado at last season's trade deadline and is fifth on DailyFaceoff.com's trade bait board, per Frank Seravalli.
«Given that both Mittelstadt and Bowen Byram are on our Targets board, it's fair to say that neither side has been enthralled with the one-for-one swap that was one of the true surprises of Deadline 2024,» Seravalli wrote. «Unlike Byram, Mittelstadt is at least under contract for two seasons beyond this one. So he would provide a little cost certainty moving forward. He just hasn't quite been a fit, or as productive, in Jared Bednar's lineup. We're told the Avalanche are willing to shake things up if they can find the right deal.»
Now the second-line center for the Avalanche, Mittelstadt was initially drafted eighth overall by Buffalo back in 2017.
Toronto, 32-19-2 and second in the Atlantic Division, will almost certainly be a buyer at the deadline. But GM Brad Treliving has suggested it might not be simple to find a center.
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