9 young players the Calgary Flames should target this trade season
By Nathan Smith
2. Fraser Minten – Toronto Maple Leafs
Eric Francis may have name dropped Nick Abruzzese as a potential filler in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but make no mistake about it, if Calgary want to do business with Toronto and they want to look at young, NHL ready players, then Fraser Minten is the player they should be most actively targeting.
The 19-year old has been an absolute star for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL over the past two years, tallying point totals of 55 and 67, and after a short stint with the NHL team, he’s back in Kamloops again, already notching 6 points in five games this season. With size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds), skill, and plenty of confidence, Minten has the ability to be a genuine star in the NHL, and while there’s a chance he can crack the top six in Toronto, with that group already being solidified, the Flames could give him a much better opportunity in Calgary.
#LeafsForever prospect Fraser Minten with his third assist in the game, all secondary. He assisted on all three of Kamloops goals in their 6-3 loss tonight, bringing his totals to 7 points in 5 games.pic.twitter.com/a5D89Mo0z9
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) November 12, 2023
The Leafs believe that Minten will be a key part of their future, so it’s going to take a major deal to get him away from Toronto, but if they want to win in 2023-24 bad enough, acquiring Hanifin, Tanev, or Zadorov may just mean sacrificing one of their top prospects to get it done.