Despite reports emerging that Nikita Zadorov wanted to remain a member of the Calgary Flames, he has now officially requested a trade, with many teams reportedly interested in acquiring him for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Among trade candidates are the Maple Leafs, Canucks and Devils, who are all expected to be major players, but no team makes more sense as a trade partner than Toronto.
The Flames could target a talented young prospect
While nothing official has linked the two sides yet, the link appears too obvious to ignore, and now, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis has offered up a potential name that Calgary could be targeting in a deal According to Francis, Nick Abruzzese, former Harvard teammate of Matt Coronato, is a player they could target, and despite being 24-years of age, he could be a solid bottom-six option as the Flames potentially look to rebuild.
As the hockey world tries to piece together various pieces that could make a Leafs trade for a Flames defenceman possible, consider the fact Toronto farmhand Nick Abruzzese was Matt Coronato’s setup man at Harvard two seasons ago.
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) November 13, 2023
The Leafs 4th rounder was just named AHL player…
Abruzzese was a fourth round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2019. In his two years at Harvard, he notched an impressive 77 points (23 goals, 54 assists) in 59 games and has continued his great play into the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, tallying 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 81 games. He could be an under-the-radar acquisition that pays off for the Flames. The centre, with no way onto the Leafs NHL roster any time soon, is someone that Toronto fans would likely not miss.
How good can Abruzzese be?
While most Flames fans would love to see the likes of Fraser Minten, Nick Robertson or Easton Cowan coming back in a deal with the Leafs, those names may be too much to ask in exchange for Zadorov. If the Flames can find a young, NHL ready, bottom-six centre who possesses chemistry with a key building block of the future, it would be a major victory for Craig Conroy.
Nick Abruzzese (No. 26) has back-to-back 3-point games with a trio of assists on Saturday. He has 8 points in his last 4 games.
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) November 13, 2023
Totals: 12 GP, 3 G, 11 PTS, +3#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/HVBVK3gAGW
This wouldn’t be a deal where the Flames fleece Toronto, as they would likely see the return of John Klingberg to match salary and a sweetener on top of that, but if the team does look to rebuild for the future, Abruzzese could certainly be a bottom-six centre that carves out a very solid NHL career for himself.
Ultimately, the Maple Leafs need major help on the blue line, so pairing Zadorov with Chris Tanev in a potential deal could net an even bigger return for Calgary, but if they simply want the 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenceman, Abruzzese could be the throw-in asset that allows Calgary to continue what may become a significant rebuild.