NHL trade rumors: Top 10 trade candidates in 2020-21

4. Andreas Johnsson

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Position: LW
Age: 25

Should Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas opt to keep the aforementioned Kapanen, the attention among many in Toronto will inevitably turn toward the team’s next most comparable assets. Queue the speculation surrounding Alexander Kerfoot and Andreas Johnsson.

Kapanen, Kerfoot and Johnsson have served as subjects of speculation for much of the Maple Leafs’ most recent campaign. And while Kapanen looks to be the figure who has the capacity to fetch the most expansive return in a future deal, it would be silly to write off Kerfoot and Johnsson as potential trade targets.

Few would doubt that — at times — Kerfoot looked out of place within both Mike Babcock Sheldon Keefe’s respective rosters. Nevertheless, his ability to serve as a third-line center option makes the prospect of a move involving the 25-year-old a little more unlikely than one involving his counterparts.

The thought of trading Johnsson, then, is a far more intriguing idea to entertain.

The 25-year-old left winger battled recurring injuries throughout Toronto’s trying 2019-20 season. Amidst these uncertain times, the Maple Leafs’ depth was increasingly tested — a process that culminated with the emergence of Pierre Engvall and Ilya Mikheyev as wing options. Add the fact that left winger Zach Hyman proved to be one of the club’s most central assets over the course of the abbreviated campaign and you have yourself a window into one of the more fascinating dilemmas of the summer ahead.

Does Kapanen’s importance to the club’s penalty kill and depth, coupled with Kerfoot’s role at center and the emergence of key wingers render Johnsson the odd man out?

Look for an answer to questions of this nature during the offseason, as Toronto aims to fix its longstanding defensive struggles.