Elliotte Friedman Suggests that the Leafs May Have Found the Answer to Their Top-6 Problem

The end of the Mitch Marner era has left a fairly large hole on the wing in the Maple Leafs' top-six. Not just offensively, but defensively as well, given Marner's ability to play on the penalty kill and in all situations.

Leafs GM Brad Treliving plans to fill the void using a 'by committee' approach, but it won't stop him from exploring all of his options as the season begins and throughout the season.

The Leafs were heavily involved in trying to acquire St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn ahead of the trade deadline this past season, but the asking price was steep and Schenn had full control over his situation and opted to stay to help the Blues secure a playoff spot, as they were within striking distance at the deadline.

However, as Elliotte Friedman noted on his '32 Thoughts' podcast, Schenn's full no-trade clause has become a modified no-trade clause with a 15-team no-trade list for the final three seasons of his contract.

With a cap hit of $6.5M and the Blues currently sitting with just $625K in cap space, moving out their long-time captain may become a plausible idea.

Schenn helped lead the Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup under now Leafs head coach Craig Berube, so there is familiarity there. While he may not produce at the rate Marner did, Schenn can play on both sides of the puck and can also play down the middle, giving the Leafs a lot more flexibility at centre.

Whether the Leafs have the appropriate pieces to package together that will entice the Blues enough to want to move Schenn is up for the debate, but we do know that the interest is there, and now that his trade protection has loosened, anything is possible.