NHL insider urges Maple Leafs to target Brayden Schenn, $49,000,000 Flames star as team looks to address depth at centre

General manager Brad Treliving said that the DNA of the Toronto Maple Leafs has to change this offseason.

To follow through on those comments would mean more than just tinkering with the roster in free agency. Truly changing the DNA requires diving into the trade market to shake up the group.

Toronto doesn't have much in terms of assets to acquire players, which means Treliving will have to get creative in order to make some moves.

Maple Leafs reporter Jonas Siegel wrote a recent article for The Athletic where he listed nine different center options for Toronto to target in a trade this offseason. Phillip Danault, former Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri, and William Karlsson were among the names atop the list.

Siegel shared the link to the article on X (formerly Twitter).

"Danault is still a very good player on a good contract. The 32-year-old would also be a helpful addition to a penalty kill that was just OK in the regular season and better in the playoffs," Siegel wrote.

"A reunion certainly has merit for the Leafs. For one thing, Kadri is still an effective player — he scored 35 goals and 67 points last season, playing over 19 minutes a night... The GM who signed him to that deal? That would be Treliving, when he was still the Flames GM," Siegel added.

Ryan O'Reilly, JG Pageau, Brayden Schenn, Alex Wennberg, Pavel Zacha, and Mika Zibanejad were the six other players Siegel suggested the Maple Leafs look into.

Nazem Kadri didn't shut the door on playing for the Maple Leafs again earlier this season

While Nazem Kadri is locked into a long-term contract in Calgary, that won't stop speculation about the Toronto Maple Leafs one day reacquiring the beloved center.

Kadri was actually asked about the potential for a reunion earlier this year when on the Leaf Report Podcast. Leafs Latest shared his comments on X.

"I mean, who knows? I would definitely not put that out of the equation, for sure. Everybody knows how I feel about the city and the team, and I’ve got lots of friends there, but it’s certainly something you wouldn’t close the door on," Kadri said.

The 34-year-old still has four years remaining on his seven-year, $49,000,000 contract signed with the Flames as a UFA in 2022.

Whether it's Kadri or someone else, the Maple Leafs need to explore all possibilities to improve their roster this summer.