The Nashville Predators are currently in a downward spiral, and the Toronto Maple Leafs need to take advantage of this situation. It’s always interesting how the most vocal team in the offseason tends to be the quietest during the regular season. This pattern repeats itself every year across various sports: a team makes a flurry of moves and suddenly finds itself struggling at the bottom. The Toronto Blue Jays experienced this firsthand in 2013, when they made numerous acquisitions and were expected to be World Series contenders, only to flop and miss the playoffs entirely.

When a team makes a slew of big moves to improve its roster, it often signals that the roster wasn’t strong to begin with. Getting all those new players to gel quickly is a tough task. That’s why the Toronto Maple Leafs have been so consistent over the past decade—they’ve stuck with the same core group, players who know how to win (at least in the regular season), and instead made strategic, smaller additions around them.

Now, with the Nashville Predators struggling, GM Barry Trotz has openly “pondered a rebuild,” which means the team could be open to almost anything. Despite bringing in high-profile players like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Ryan O’Reilly, Brady Skjei, and Juuse Saros over the past two years, it seems like none of them are safe from being moved.

So, if you’re the Maple Leafs, what’s the play? Do you target one of the Predators’ bigger names to help them get more cap flexibility, or do you take on a smaller contract to shake up the atmosphere in Nashville’s locker room and potentially spark a change in direction?

If I were Brad Treliving, I’d be picking up the phone and calling Barry Trotz right away, with a clear focus on two specific players: Ryan O’Reilly and Colton Sissons.

The Leafs are in desperate need of depth, especially at centre, and both O’Reilly and Sissons would provide that instantly. O’Reilly would be the ideal fit, particularly after his departure from Toronto in July 2023. However, there’s a catch—O’Reilly may prefer staying in Nashville, even with the team’s struggles. When asked about his decision to sign with the Predators, O’Reilly shared a personal perspective:

“I do like it here in that sense where you can fly under the radar and I can take my kid to hockey…Still people know (who I am), but I can be there and engage with him more. It’s something that at this point in my career I think I enjoy that and am able to have with him,” O’Reilly explained (via The Hockey News).

That said, if the Leafs are serious about adding depth and making a push, bringing O’Reilly back into the fold—especially given his familiarity with the team—could be a key move. Sissons, with his defensive versatility and leadership, would also be a solid addition to strengthen the centre position.

If Ryan O’Reilly isn’t open to a return to Toronto to chase another Stanley Cup in his home province, Colton Sissons becomes a solid alternative. At just $2.8M and under contract until 2026, Sissons is a cost-effective option who brings reliability to the third-line centre spot. While his stats aren’t flashy, he’s a right-handed centre who can chip in with 15 goals per season and provide the depth the Leafs need.

With either O’Reilly or Sissons on board, the Leafs would have the flexibility to get creative with their line combinations. Here’s one potential setup I’d love to see:

First Line: Matthew Knies / Auston Matthews / Mitch Marner
Second Line: Max Domi / Colton Sissons or Ryan O’Reilly / William Nylander
Third Line: Max Pacioretty / John Tavares / Nicholas Robertson
Fourth Line: Bobby McMann / David Kampf / Steven Lorentz

This structure provides a balanced mix of scoring, physicality, and defensive responsibility, allowing the Leafs to roll four strong lines. The second line, in particular, would offer a solid two-way presence, while the third line could be a more defensively responsible unit, with scoring potential from Pacioretty and Robertson. Adding depth and versatility like this would give Toronto even more flexibility and options throughout the lineup.

Absolutely, shifting Max Domi to the wing alongside William Nylander would be a fantastic move. Domi’s vision and playmaking ability would complement Nylander’s skill set perfectly, giving that second line a dynamic offensive punch. Having Domi as the key playmaker would allow Nylander to focus more on his scoring, while Domi can facilitate and create space for both him and the other linemate.

The key here is that it would instantly upgrade the Leafs’ depth. By adding Sissons or O’Reilly to solidify the centre position, you could roll four lines that are all capable of contributing offensively. Right now, the Leafs rely heavily on their top two lines, but this would spread the wealth and make the team more difficult to defend against. With the potential to score at all four forward positions, Toronto would have more balanced lineups and wouldn’t have to lean as heavily on their top stars to carry the offensive load.

This kind of depth is something that could elevate the Leafs come playoff time, where depth scoring often becomes the difference-maker.