2 Maple Leafs featured on latest NHL trade board

While the NHL has been fairly quiet after the wave of moves around free agency, there could still be some trade action before we start the 2025-26 season in a few months. And according to one insider, those moves could feature the Toronto Maple Leafs moving out two players.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos released his latest trade board this week and on it, are two Maple Leafs defensemen who we most assumed would be part of the lineup when next season starts. Both Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo have been named as players that could potentially be on the move this summer.

When it comes to Rielly, Kypreos mentions that he could be the defenseman that general manager Brad Treliving tries to move to get some scoring help in the top six. It seems like a logical conclusion -- you take away one player who could have higher value elsewhere and teams might still buy into the brief seasons where Rielly was truly a dynamic force on the back end (unlike last season). And then, in turn, the Leafs would aim to supplement their scoring potential with another top-six forward, making the loss of Mitch Marner slightly less impactful.

It's all great on paper, but Rielly does have five years remaining on his contract that carries a $7.5 million AAV, and a full no-move clause. Any trade would need the approval from the player himself, and it would need to be to a team that can fit that under their cap. Is there anywhere that Rielly would feel comfortable leaving the team that drafted him fifth overall all the way back in 2012? Could Treliving convince Rielly that he would excel with a new change of scenery? It's difficult to tell.

For Carlo, it's a little bit perplexing given that the Leafs just spent a first-round pick and a fairly decent prospect in center Fraser Minten to acquire him from the Boston Bruins at the last trade deadline. But, if they can move the large right-handed defenseman and get a player that wouldn't look out of place next to Auston Matthews, or is a center that can play with William Nylander for the next five to seven years, then they should pull that trigger.

And teams should want Carlo. He has two years remaining on his contract that comes at an extremely low price of $3.485 million (with the existing salary retention from the Bruins). Plus, he has just an eight-team no-trade list compared to Rielly's full no-move clause.

If the Leafs wanted to shake up their roster by focusing on less sturdy, defensive defensemen and getting a dynamic forward instead -- trading part of their surplus for a need -- then Carlo might be the one guy they send out.

Who could these hypothetical forwards be that the Leafs are targeting? Well, Kypreos also has some enticing players from other teams on this same list. Namely, Toronto native Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues would be almost exactly who the Leafs could want and the right winger is locked up for six more years at an understandable $8.125 million per season.

Or, maybe it's someone like Martin Necas from the Colorado Avalanche, who has just one more year remaining on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. But, maybe the Leafs can convince that Toronto is the place to stay to either be Matthews's right winger or as the team's second-line center, if he returns to playing down the middle.

Those are two options, and from teams who might want some long-term additions to their blue lines, but we could see something unexpected before training camp starts in a couple months.

The Maple Leafs are certainly trying to stay active and improve their roster before next season. While Matias Macelli and Nic Roy are very nice additions for forward depth and have potential to show more than they have in the NHL, it does still feel like the Leafs would be taking a step back next season if they entered it with this roster.