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Craig Berube said he loves coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be a team to watch this offseason very closely. After a nightmare 2025-26 season that saw them finish at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a 32-36-14 record and 78 points, they should have a different-looking roster for next season.

The Maple Leafs have yet to hire their new general manager after firing Brad Treliving back in late March. If the Maple Leafs’ next general manager’s goal is to make them become a playoff team again immediately, it would not be surprising if they browsed the trade market for help. After all, it is clear that the Maple Leafs have multiple roster needs to address.

Due to this, let’s look at three NHL trade candidates who the Maple Leafs should strongly consider targeting during the offseason.

Robert Thomas Would Give the Maple Leafs Another Star Center

One area that the Maple Leafs could aim to improve is the center position. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas stands out as a perfect potential target for the Maple Leafs.

If the Maple Leafs acquired Thomas, he would form a fantastic one-two punch down the middle with Auston Matthews. Thomas would be an excellent fit as the Maple Leafs’ second line center and would give them another high-impact star to work with on their power play.

Thomas also has an $8.125 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season, so he would be a long-term pickup for the Maple Leafs if acquired. This would be perfect for a team in a retool like Toronto. In 64 games this season with St. Louis, he had 25 goals and 64 points.

Jake DeBrusk Would Give the Maple Leafs Another Skilled Winger

It would not be surprising in the slightest if the Maple Leafs looked to add another skilled winger to their top six this offseason. One trade candidate who could be a solid addition to their roster because of this is Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk.

With the Canucks having such a bad season in 2025-26, there is an expectation that they will listen to offers for DeBrusk during the summer. After all, the 2015 first-round pick was the subject of trade rumors leading up to the deadline, with the Canucks starting their rebuild. Thus, it could make sense for the Maple Leafs to kick tires on him.

DeBrusk would be more than a one-year rental for the Maple Leafs if acquired, as he has a reasonable $5.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season. In 81 games this season with Vancouver, he had 23 goals and 42 points. This is after he scored a career-high 28 goals and had 48 points in 82 games for the Canucks in 2024-25.

Simon Nemec Would Give the Maple Leafs a Young Defenseman With Great Upside

If the Devils end up listening to offers for Simon Nemec this offseason, Toronto should be all over that. The 22-year-old defenseman has already shown plenty of promise early on in his NHL career and would have the potential to be a long-term part of Toronto’s core if he takes that next step.

In 68 games this season with the Devils, Nemec recorded 11 goals, 15 assists, and 26 points. If the Maple Leafs acquired the right-shot blueliner from New Jersey, they would need to sign him to a new deal. This is because he is a pending restricted free agent.