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Maple Leafs Expand Trade Talks to Players With Term as Deadline Nears

A three-game slide after the Olympic break has Toronto leaning toward selling before the March 6 deadline.

Overview

  • Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports Toronto has widened discussions beyond pending UFAs to include players with term, excluding franchise stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
  • Bobby McMann's future is described as a coin flip, with an extension still possible even as the team gauges his market as a pending UFA.
  • Oliver Ekman-Larsson, under contract for two more seasons, is on the Oilers’ radar as a right-side option, with Edmonton also considering a third-line center.
  • Toronto’s post-break losses have cut playoff odds and fueled expectations of selling, with trade boards listing a large group of Leafs as potential candidates.
  • No-move clauses and a thin stash of high draft picks constrain moves before March 6, with Morgan Rielly cited as a tougher in-season trade due to contract protections.