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If the Toronto Maple Leafs are serious about contending next season, they need to make bold moves like this one to set themselves up.

The official narrative coming out of Toronto is that the Maple Leafs are retooling and reloading this offseason. The organization wants to sell the idea that this year’s awful season was naught more than an aberration.

As such, the club should put its money where its mouth is. And doing so involves bringing in a veteran forward like Blake Coleman.

The 34-year-old Coleman will be heading into the final year of his current contract with the Calgary Flames. He was a major target at this year’s NHL trade deadline, garnering plenty of interest from numerous teams.

The Flames, however, held onto Coleman. Now, the two-time Stanley Cup champ is back on the trade block. Coleman has made it onto The Athletic’s offseason trade board, landing at #14. Of course, landing on the trade board doesn’t guarantee he’ll be gone. But if teams are looking to add depth, scoring, and leadership, Coleman is a guy they should look into.

That’s why the Maple Leafs have to do their due diligence on Coleman. While he’s not the sort of top-six forward the club would like to help augment scoring, he’s the type of solid bottom-six winger who can chip in offensively when needed.

Moreover, he’s a defensively sound forward with plenty of grit, toughness, and the can-do attitude that the Leafs lacked last season.

While he might start the season on, say, the third line, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him climb up higher on the depth chart as the season progresses.

What Would It Cost for Maple Leafs to Acquire Coleman?

So, what would it cost the Maple Leafs to acquire Coleman? That’s the $4.9 million question for Toronto.

The Flames purportedly had an astronomical asking price for Coleman at the deadline. While it’s unclear what Calgary actually wanted, the talk was that the conversation started with a first-round pick.

That’s clearly too high a price for a veteran depth piece like Coleman, especially with this cap hit.

Realistically, the Leafs could be looking at giving up something closer to a second or third-round pick, plus a mid-round pick and a prospect.

It’s safe to assume that the Flames would ask for Matthew Knies. But the conversation may come back down to Easton Cowan. Naturally, it would be foolish to include Cowan in this sort of trade.

Perhaps the Flames might look at someone like Anthony Stolarz to shore up their goaltending situation. That type of move would depend on another key factor.

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No-Trade Clauses Will Come into Play

For starters, Coleman has a 10-team approved trade list. In other words, he’s told Calgary where he’s fine with going. It’s unclear if the Maple Leafs are on that list.

Additionally, if the Leafs wanted to send Stolarz to Calgary, well, he’s got a 16-team no-trade clause.

Would the Flames be on that list? There’s a fair chance they would be. If they aren’t, this deal could make sense. Of course, it would have to be something like Stolarz, and two picks for Coleman.

That’s considering the Maple Leafs would be picking up the full tab on Coleman’s cap hit. If such a great could work out, it would be a home run for John Chayka. The Leafs could use more depth scoring. Coleman would deliver just that.

Ultimately, if the Leafs are truly serious about contending next season, these are the types of moves they’re going to have to look into.