Two Maple Leafs May Have Just Landed on the Trading Block, According to One NHL Insider

It's nothing new for the Toronto Maple Leafs that when things aren't going well, the trade speculation gets turned all the way up to 11.

After losing their last three games to drop to a record of 8-8-1, the speculation about a potential trade in Toronto is heating up, and insider Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has weighed in on the likely players the Maple Leafs would look to move out in a deal with another team.

Pagnotta appeared on Daily Faceoff this week where he stated that the Maple Leafs really need another top six player. In order to get one, the most likely player(s) going the other way to make the money work would be Max Domi and/or Brandon Carlo.

The names mentioned by Pagnotta aren't surprising, given that both players appear to have fallen out of favour in Toronto and that both carry cap hits significant enough that the Leafs can't afford to have them underperform.

If the Maple Leafs have buyer's remorse when it comes to Carlo, it is entirely justified. It's still a small sample size at 37 regular season games, but Fraser Minten and a first-round pick is looking like a major overpay for the hulking defensive defenseman.

As for Domi, he's a much beloved teammate, but 6 points in 17 games is not enough to warrant having him on the team at just under $4M per season.

While Domi and Carlo are the two most likely trade candidates wearing Maple Leafs jerseys at the moment, I doubt there's a line of teams salivating to get their hands on either at this present time.

The sad reality is that if the Leafs want to move either player, it may have to be as a part of a larger package for a bona fide top-6 forward that likely also includes one of their last remaining top prospects in Easton Cowan or Ben Danford.