**Maple Leafs Eyeing Trade for Stanley Cup Champion Forward**
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to a potential trade for Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton.
Colton, who was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Avalanche on June 28, 2023, in a salary cap move, is back in trade rumors due to Colorado’s need to clear cap space. Kevin Papetti of The Athletic believes the Maple Leafs are likely to show interest in Colton.
Papetti’s report follows Colton being placed at No. 8 on DailyFaceoff.com’s trade target board. The website noted that Colorado’s cap challenges, including the need to make room for Gabriel Landeskog and uncertainties surrounding Valeri Nichushkin, might make Colton expendable. Additionally, the Avalanche are focused on re-signing Jonathan Drouin and dealing with Casey Mittelstadt’s contract, further pushing Colton towards the trade market. Colton has no trade protection until July 1, after which his full ‘no-trade’ clause kicks in.
Colton is in the first year of a four-year, $16 million deal with the Avalanche, signed on July 17, 2023. In his first season with Colorado, Colton had a career-best 40-point season.
A Stanley Cup champion, Colton would bring valuable experience to the Maple Leafs, having scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals for Tampa Bay. He joined the Lightning as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season, contributing to the team’s playoff success.
In his playoff career, Colton has 11 goals and 12 assists in 63 games.
The Maple Leafs have $18.8 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly, but need to sign additional players to fill out their roster. Toronto has key free agents like Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and Joel Edmundson, and free agency opens on July 1. Despite their current roster gaps, the Leafs have the cap flexibility to acquire Colton from the Avalanche.
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