A new trade proposal suggests the Toronto Maple Leafs could acquire Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund in a multi-player deal. According to PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool, the proposed trade would send Backlund to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Timothy Liljegren, David Kampf, and a 2025 second-round pick.

This deal would bring the veteran forward Backlund, who is set to begin the first year of a two-year, $9 million contract with Calgary, to Toronto. Backlund, who has spent his entire NHL career with the Flames, could potentially slot into the third-line center role for the Maple Leafs and add depth to their scoring.

In the 2023-24 season, Backlund played all 82 games, tallying 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points. Over his career, he has amassed 200 goals and 331 assists in 990 NHL games.

For the Flames, the key return in this trade would be the second-round pick and Liljegren, a former first-round pick who recently signed a two-year, $6 million extension with the Maple Leafs. However, Liljegren has struggled to secure a regular spot in the NHL, recording 3 goals and 20 assists in 55 games last season.

Backlund, who was named Flames captain before the 2023 season, has been a cornerstone for Calgary. Flames GM Craig Conroy expressed enthusiasm about Backlund’s continued leadership.

Toronto, having had a relatively quiet offseason so far with the addition of Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz, may be looking to further enhance their roster before the season begins. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has indicated that the team is open to making moves if they can improve the squad.