Maple Leafs Linked to Potential Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust Trade

Maple Leafs Linked to Potential Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team to watch as the NHL offseason continues. Pittsburgh has a few players that could be traded, and the front office has discussed different deals all summer.

With the Penguins in full rebuild mode, they may as well move some of the veterans on the roster to get some future assets. But who they trade and where remains very much up in the air at this time.

NHL analyst Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff named a few teams that could be interesting trade partners with the Penguins. One of them was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who still need to add another top-six forward to the mix.

"So, I’m looking at Bryan Rust. I’m looking at Rickard Rakell. There are a few teams that still need a top-six forward. If you can make money work, I think Winnipeg does. I think Toronto does," Larkin wrote.

If the Maple Leafs were to add either of these two players, it could be a real game-changer for next season. Toronto is still looking for a way to replace Mitch Marner's production in the lineup, and this could be a perfect way.

Both Rust and Rakell could give this team a boost offensively, and the Maple Leafs front office may want to look more into a potential deal. Last season, Rust scored 31 goals and 34 assists, while Rakell scored 35 goals and 35 assists.

But the biggest obstacle in any trade is that Toronto doesn't have a ton of tradable assets to work with.

This could limit how big of a deal is made, but the Maple Leafs continue to be creative in talks. Toronto has some work to do with the roster, and this could see a deal take place in the later stages of the offseason.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.