There are rumors that the Toronto Maple Leafs might make a few more moves before the start of training camp, with one potential trade involving the acquisition of a tough forward.
Using the PuckGM tool on PuckPedia, a fan suggested a trade in which the Maple Leafs would acquire Josh Anderson from the Montreal Canadiens.
Maple Leafs get:
Josh Anderson ($2.8 million retained)
Canadiens get:
2025 sixth-round pick
The trade proposal has the Maple Leafs acquiring veteran forward Josh Anderson in exchange for a late-round draft pick, with Montreal retaining part of his salary to ease the burden. To further make the salary cap situation work, David Kämpf would be sent to the Anaheim Ducks in a separate deal.
Anderson is entering the fifth year of a seven-year, $38.5 million contract. Known as a physical power forward, he could bring grit and scoring depth to Toronto’s middle lineup. Last season, Anderson registered 9 goals and 11 assists for 20 points over 78 games. Over his NHL career, he’s played 535 games, tallying 131 goals and 92 assists for 223 points.
For Montreal, the deal would free up cap space by offloading Anderson’s contract, giving them more flexibility.
Maple Leafs Signed Veteran Winger to PTO
On September 11, the Maple Leafs announced that they have signed veteran forward Max Pacioretty to a professional tryout.
Max Pacioretty will attend Maple Leafs training camp on a Professional Tryout (PTO) pic.twitter.com/8UgMNOV5Rk
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 11, 2024
Max Pacioretty, who had been rumored to join the Maple Leafs, has agreed to a professional tryout with the team, allowing him to vie for a roster spot during training camp. This decision follows Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving’s remarks about potential roster moves.
On August 14, Treliving stated on TSN 1050’s “OverDrive,” “We’ve still got five weeks or so till camp. And, you know, we’re not set yet. We continue to look at ways to make our team better. I said at the end of the year we’re going to look at everything.”
He also emphasized the importance of meaningful changes: “Sometimes people fall in love with ‘let’s make a big change just to make a big change.’ At the end of the day, you can go out and make big changes. If they’re not making your team better, to me it doesn’t make any sense to just make a change just to stand up and say ‘look at it, we made this big change.’”
Last season, Pacioretty, who played for the Washington Capitals, recorded 4 goals and 19 assists for 23 points in 47 games. Over his NHL career, he has appeared in 902 games, tallying 330 goals and 338 assists for 668 points.
Canadiens GM Happy With His Core Group
The Montreal Canadiens are currently focused on rebuilding and spent their offseason re-signing key players rather than making big moves in free agency. The team secured contract extensions for Juraj Slafkovsky and Kaiden Guhle, who are crucial to their core.
Montreal general manager Kent Hughes expressed his satisfaction with the team’s direction, noting that while the Canadiens haven’t engaged heavily in free agency, he believes in the team’s environment and culture. “If you can build an environment and a culture that people want to be a part of, where there’s a sense of ownership, belonging, communication, and a shared vision, then you’re on the right track,” Hughes said on July 1. He added, “Even though we’ve been in a rebuilding process, I believe that if I were a player, I’d want to be in Montreal. It’s up to me to share that vision and get players to buy into it.”
The Canadiens have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons and will kick off the 2024-25 NHL season with a home game against the Maple Leafs on October 9.
