Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Maple Leafs Rumors

Maple Leafs, Others Showing Interest In Justin Braun

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The market for defensively sound depth defensemen is always a hot one, especially around the Trade Deadline as teams assess their deficiencies as they prepare for playoff runs. While Ben Chiarot discourse has been steamrolling its way through the public lately, he won’t be the only defensive specialist with playoff experience available at the Deadline. He’s not the biggest piece the Philadelphia Flyers may have for sale, but it looks like veteran defenseman Justin Braun could be a rental for a team looking to win this Spring.

On the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun suggests that multiple teams are interested in Braun’s services, but specifically lists the Toronto Maple Leafs as one of those teams.

Braun, now 35 years old, has exactly 100 games of playoff experience under his belt, 84 of which came with the San Jose Sharks. Since arriving in Philadelphia in 2019, even as his offense began to decline with age, he’s maintained his status as a stellar defensive specialist in a bottom-four role.

The price to acquire Braun shouldn’t be nearly as astronomical as the rumored first-round pick for Chiarot, as recency bias tends to reign supreme on Deadline day. It could be a very solid value acquisition for any team, though, as a mid-round pick spent on Braun seems like a much smarter move than a high-round pick or prospect spent on Chiarot.

Specifically for Toronto, Braun seems like an extremely logical replacement in the lineup for Justin Holl, who’s also a right-shot defenseman. Holl has struggled mightily this season, getting consistently outshined by Toronto’s young pair of D-men in Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren. Adding Braun to the mix would create incredible depth and injury insurance at defense for Toronto in the playoffs, as defensive depth issues caused by injury have exposed them in recent years.

Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Mac Hollowell

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed one of their young defensemen to an extension, inking Mac Hollowell to a new one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal carries a salary of $750K at the NHL level. Hollowell was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Selected 118th overall in 2018, the 23-year-old Hollowell has been a nice example of the Maple Leafs development system, going through the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers before becoming a key member of the Toronto Marlies. He’s yet to play at the NHL level–which is still not a guarantee at all–but has 14 points in 23 games for the AHL club this season.

His biggest obstacle is still his size, as Hollowell measures in at just 5’9″ and 165 lbs. There have been small defensemen in the NHL before but usually, they come with some elite offensive upside. Hollowell does have good instincts in that regard but especially with the likes of Morgan Rielly and Rasmus Sandin ahead of him, those minutes would be hard to come by with the Maple Leafs.

He is right-handed though, which has been an area of concern for Toronto in recent years and still doesn’t feature a ton of depth. A new contract likely means nothing more than a spot on the Marlies but perhaps Hollowell can take his growth even further next season.

Adam Brooks Placed On Waivers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

In an interesting turn of events, the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Adam Brooks right back on waivers today after claiming him yesterday. It is the fourth time that Brooks has ended up on waivers this season.

Normally, if a player is reclaimed by his former team on waivers and no one else puts in a claim, that team can send him directly to the minor leagues. But since Brooks had a stop-off with the Montreal Canadiens in between his stints with Toronto and the Vegas Golden Knights, only Montreal was allowed that exception. The Maple Leafs could not send him to the AHL without first clearing waivers again. That could certainly be possible this time as even for the Maple Leafs to claim him yesterday, most of the league (including the Canadiens) would have had to pass. Toronto sits near the very end of the waiver order, which is based on the reverse standings.

Still, the Golden Knights now hold that exception, and if they are the only team to put in a claim this time around now they could assign Brooks directly to the minor leagues. That would be a risky move though, as if someone else claims him as well, the Golden Knights would have to keep him on the active roster–something that wasn’t possible given the recent Jack Eichel activation. If any other team claims him, including Montreal, he would have to stay on the active roster.

It’s a lot of roster and cap gymnastics but what it mostly comes down to is Brooks available once again. The 25-year-old forward has two goals and three points in 11 games this season, split between the Golden Knights and Canadiens. Perhaps this time there will be some stability for the fourth-round pick, at one level or another.

Toronto Maple Leafs Claim Adam Brooks

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Adam Brooks is headed back to the place he has spent most of his career. CapFriendly reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed Brooks off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the third time Brooks has been claimed so far this season. The team has also moved Timothy Liljegren to the AHL to make room, something that suggests there may be more coming for Toronto in the coming days.

Originally under contract with the Maple Leafs, Brooks ended up on waivers at the outset of the season because of a roster crunch in Toronto. He was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens, where he proceeded to play in four games over the next month. Back on waivers he went in mid-November, only to this time be claimed by the Golden Knights. That’s where he’s been for months since, though his time in Vegas hasn’t been very fruitful. Brooks has played just seven games for the Golden Knights and five more for the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL while on a conditioning loan.

For the past several weeks, he’s been on injured reserve and his placement on waivers this time suggests he’s ready to return to action.

A fourth-round pick in 2016, Brooks has just 29 regular season NHL games under his belt to this point but has actually been rather productive in them. Despite averaging just over ten minutes a night, he has six goals and 11 points–an 82-game pace of 17 goals, 31 points. That’s certainly a valuable player to have in the organization, even if his size and strength–or lack thereof–sometimes mean he’s not a perfect fit in the bottom-six.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role he has in Toronto, given the team already has veterans like Kyle Clifford and Nick Ritchie buried in the minor leagues. One thing Brooks has going for him is his price tag; the 25-year-old forward carries a cap hit of just $725K, less than the league minimum salary. Brooks will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer when his current two-year, two-way contract expires.

Maple Leafs Working On Nick Ritchie Trade

at CDT | by 14 Comments

While there hasn’t been a formal trade request, the Maple Leafs are working on trying to find a new home for Nick Ritchie, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts segment (video link).  While nothing is imminent, he notes that there has been some traction on trying to find a taker for the winger.

Ritchie was non-tendered by Boston last summer and quickly signed a two-year, $5MM deal with Toronto.  It’s a move that hasn’t panned out well as the 26-year-old has just two goals and seven assists in 33 games which resulted in him clearing waivers last month.  Once the taxi squads were dissolved following the All-Star break, he was sent to Toronto of the AHL although he has yet to suit up with the Marlies.

With a $2.5MM AAV for next season as well, the Maple Leafs will almost certainly have to either retain money or take a contract back since teams passed up on taking him for free recently.  A complicating factor will be next year’s buyout cost.  Because Toronto back-loaded the contract, the cost of a buyout would only be $300K next season (although it jumps to $1.1MM for 2023-24).  Friedman notes that Toronto would be hesitant to retain more than $300K in a trade as a result.

The Maple Leafs have more than $74MM in commitments for next season to just 14 players, per CapFriendly, a figure that includes Ritchie’s $1.375MM revised cap hit when he’s in the minors.  The salary cap is only going to go up to $82.5MM at most and even that may be optimistic so that doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for them to round out their roster, especially with goaltender Jack Campbell among the players eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.  As a result, finding a way to free up any sort of extra cap room would go a long way.  Ritchie won’t carry much trade value but if they can find a way to save even a little bit of cap space, it’s an option that GM Kyle Dubas will need to seriously consider.

Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Joseph Woll

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have secured some goaltending depth for the next few years, signing Joseph Woll to a three-year extension. The contract will carry an average annual value of $766,666 and is a two-way deal in the first year. Woll was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. PuckPedia reports that in the first year, the contract will pay him $750K in the NHL, $350K in the AHL, and includes a minor league guarantee of $450K.

A third-round pick in 2016, the 23-year-old netminder finally made his NHL debut this season, playing in four games for the team when they were dealing with other injuries. He actually held his own, winning three of the four, posting a .911 save percentage, and recording his first career shutout. In the minor leagues, where he has played eight games it’s the same story, with a .911 save percentage and more wins than losses. That’s an encouraging sign for a goaltender who has dealt with several injuries since leaving Boston College in 2019 and had previously been unable to post a save percentage above .900 even in the minor leagues.

Standing 6’4″, Woll is an exceptionally flexible goaltender and can make highlight-reel saves at times. It’s consistency in positioning and technique that he will have to improve if he wants to make an impact at the next level, in Toronto or elsewhere. Though the Maple Leafs’ depth chart may look like a tough nut to crack for a young goaltender, Woll has actually done himself a favor by signing for such little money.

Jack Campbell, the current starter, is a free agent at the end of the season and will need a pretty substantial raise after his play so far. The team is already paying Petr Mrazek $3.8MM a year through 2023-24, meaning a raise for Campbell could take their combined cap hit to an uncomfortable level for a team that is invested so heavily in other players. If Campbell is allowed to walk, or Mrazek moved out for cap relief in the summer, Woll’s $767K cap hit would certainly be a huge opportunity in 2022-23. If he can show enough to take on a backup role, the team could invest money elsewhere, something they’ve already begun to do by extending Morgan Rielly.

If not, Woll is still waiver-exempt for another season, meaning he can go to the minor leagues next year without issue.

Auston Matthews Feeling "Pretty Good" Following Early Exit

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Auston Matthews didn’t take part in practice but was feeling “pretty good” today according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, who spoke to reporters including Joshua Kloke of The Athletic. Matthews left last night’s game late in the third period with what appeared to be a head or neck injury after colliding with Brett Pesce. The injury wasn’t before the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar scored another two goals, taking him to 31 in 40 games this season.

Maple Leafs Notes: Deadline Plan, Cap Room, Trade Preference, AHL Conversions

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas met with reporters today (video link) and indicated that with their limited salary cap space, he wants to wait as long as possible before trying to make a move to bolster his team before the trade deadline.  Toronto, like several contenders, will probably only have enough cap room to make one addition of note and with them not being in LTIR (unlike several contenders), there’s a direct benefit to waiting until closer to deadline day on March 21st when they will have been able to bank more room and there will be less money to take on.

More from Dubas regarding the Maple Leafs:

  • To help create some of that cap space, veterans Nick Ritchie and Kyle Clifford will report to AHL Toronto now with the taxi squads gone. While they can clear Clifford’s $1MM price tag entirely, they won’t be able to clear all of Ritchie’s $2.5MM AAV and will carry a pro-rated $1.375MM charge while he’s with the Marlies.  It’s also likely that they’ll try to go with a minimum-sized roster or close to it when they can; both Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin can be moved back and forth without requiring waivers.
  • Dubas also reiterated his desire to trade for someone signed beyond this season although fitting that player in next year may be tricky with Morgan Rielly’s extension kicking in and the Upper Limit expected to only be slightly above the $81.5MM mark that it’s currently at. Toronto has over $74MM in commitments for next season to just 14 players, per CapFriendly, with starting goalie Jack Campbell eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
  • Dubas was non-committal about whether or not he’d convert Josh Ho-Sang to an NHL deal following the Olympics. There were reports that such a move was being considered but it was put on hold once it was clear that Ho-Sang would be suiting up for Canada in that event.  Dubas referenced former NHL forwards Antti Suomela and Joseph Blandisi plus winger Curtis Douglas as others they’re monitoring to see whether or not they’re worth converting to NHL contracts.

Maple Leafs’ Jake Muzzin Returns To Practice

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After missing over two weeks with a concussion, The Leafs Nation’s David Alter reports that defenseman Jake Muzzin is back at team practice today.

Muzzin’s last appearance for Toronto was January 15th, credited with four shots on goal in a rollercoaster 6-5 win against the St. Louis Blues. He’s been out since, putting pressure on Toronto’s defensive depth to step up.

With Toronto playing tomorrow, the first day of NHL games post-All-Star break, they were one of the few teams league-wide to hold a practice.

Through 35 games played this season, Muzzin has a goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 35 games. He’s one of just three players on the active roster with a negative plus-minus rating, a sign of what’s been a tough season for him personally.

Alter also reports that Muzzin wasn’t utilized in the regular defense pairing rotation at practice, though, a sign that his return may not be coming tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s possible that Rasmus Sandin continues to get a look in the team’s top four alongside Justin Holl, in what’s been a solid breakout season for the young Sandin.

Toronto On Josh Manson's No-Trade List

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

New Anaheim Ducks general manager has some big decisions to come in the next few weeks, as the team holds several players who would be top rental options at the trade deadline should they be put on the market. One of those names is Josh Manson, who has seemingly been linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs since the moment he entered the league. Well, if the Maple Leafs ever did want to pry Manson out of Anaheim, there’s another roadblock in the way. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet notes on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast that Toronto is one of the teams on Manson’s no-trade list.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top