The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be aggressive ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline.
Toronto has a need at center and on defense, but their main priority appears to be a centerman. According to NHL insiders Chris Johnston and Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Toronto’s top priority is trading for St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn.
“St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn appears to have emerged as the Leafs’ primary target, although there are plenty of hurdles that would need to be cleared in order to land the younger brother of former Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn,” Siegel and Johnston wrote in The Athletic.
“For starters, Brayden Schenn has a full no-trade clause in his contract. He’s also got three seasons remaining beyond this one at an annual cap charge of $6.5 million,” the article added. “Plus there’s no guarantee St. Louis will actually trade one of its core pieces. Even though management is gauging interest in Schenn and other veterans.”
Schenn would project to be Toronto’s third-line center and add some experience and offense to the bottom six. Schenn is in the fifth year of his eight-year $52 million deal. This season with the Blues, he’s skated in 59 games recording 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points.
Insider Reveals Potential Maple Leafs Package For Schenn
With Schenn still having term left on his deal and being an impact player, acquiring him won’t come cheap.
Johnston and Siegel believe the starting price for Schenn is a first-round pick and one of their top prospects.
“The price tag on a potential Schenn deal is believed to be significant, potentially requiring the Leafs to put together a package that includes an attractive draft pick (such as their first-round pick in 2026) plus one of their three most sought-after prospects. Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten and Ben Danford – and perhaps Nikita Grebenkin, too,” the article read. “There would likely be an additional price to be paid as a sweetener to make the money work on Schenn’s contract. Cowan, Minten and Danford tend to come up frequently in trade discussions.”
Schenn won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 with Craig Berube as his head coach, who is now the Maple Leafs head coach.
Schenn Discusses Trade Rumors
Despite being St. Louis’ captain and under contract for multiple years, Schenn’s name has come up in trade talks.
Ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, Schenn spoke to Tom Gulitti and says he understands the business side of hockey, which means he may be dealt.
Asked Brayden Schenn about his name coming up in rumors with the NHL Trade Deadline approaching on March 7: pic.twitter.com/Euozw5D1I0
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 27, 2025
“Honestly, it’s like the times I’ve gotten traded, I didn’t expect to get traded,” Schenn said. “So, you really never know. I’ve always said I love it here in St. Louis. It’s a great organization, a great place to play. I definitely know it’s a business and that just comes with the flows of kind of where we’re positioned, five points out of the playoffs. But it’s the trade deadline. So some people make rumours. And, obviously, when the Toronto media gets a hold of it, which is probably a lot bigger than the rest of the league, [it grows]. So, you just take it a day at a time and just focus on your game and play.”
Schenn was traded to St. Louis in 2017.
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