With the Toronto Maple Leafs selling ahead of the March 6 deadline and the Edmonton Oilers clearing buying (they just added Connor Murphy via trade on Monday), one has to wonder if there’s a fit here.
Nothing is imminent, but many analysts are wondering, and some very plugged-in people are asking the question: Are the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers lining up for another pre-deadline move?
According to Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now, Toronto’s third-line centre Nicolas Roy could soon be headed to Edmonton. Stauffer did not say definitively that the Oilers are making this trade or that Toronto has agreed to it. However, he hinted at a “big third-line right-shot C on a team that thinks they might still be in it, but he doesn’t think they will be,” a comment many interpreted as pointing directly at the Maple Leafs.
Stauffer added, “I do not believe the Oilers are done,” suggesting that after acquiring Murphy on Monday, Edmonton may still be active — particularly up front. Toronto is looking to move pieces, and Roy hasn’t necessarily panned out as hoped when he was acquired in the Mitch Marner trade.
Why Nicolas Roy for the Oilers?
Roy checks several boxes for the Oilers. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he brings size down the middle, something Edmonton has prioritized behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He’s a right shot and wins 53.5 percent of his faceoffs, two traits the Oilers covet. He also has playoff pedigree, having played all 22 games during the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup run in 2023, recording 11 points and 48 hits.
As Jim Matheson noted, Roy is “built for the playoffs.” He added, “If Oilers are in on Nic Roy as Bob Stauffer says, I’m for it. Cup winner, big body, right shot, and some offence. .. Nic Roy has another year at $3M after this one so will cost more in acquisition. Bowman likes players with time left. Lots of playoff games vs Oilers.”
The Oilers know that firsthand, having faced him several times over the past few postseasons.
What Can the Maple Leafs Get From the Oilers in a Trade?
Roy carries a $3 million AAV through next season. So even if Toronto retained 50 percent, Edmonton would likely need to move out salary — most notably Andrew Mangiapane or Adam Henrique — to make the math work. The potentially good news for the Oilers is that there is a belief that GM Brad Treliving is willing to take Mangiapane’s contract on. The question becomes the sweetener mixed with the original return in a trade like this.
Related: Insider Suggests Maple Leafs Could Sell Assets to Make Bigger Deadline Splash
Roy’s offense has dipped this season, but he’s still a useful player in a market that has fewer options that aren’t of the high-end variety. With just five goals and 20 points, he doesn’t drive play offensively and isn’t known for his skating. That could limit, at least a little, what the Leafs can get in a straight trade.
That said, physicality, size, and defensive reliability are key reasons the Oilers are looking at him. These are things Edmonton has been lacking this season, and why they prioritized the defense-first Murphy out of Chicago. So too, Roy remains a steady penalty killer and a dependable two-way presence, which will increase his value over some alternatives. He’s also not a rental, which the Oilers will value.
Expect a second-rounder and possibly a later pick to be the bare minimum of what Toronto will try to get from the Oilers. If retention and Mangiapane are part of the deal, it could be more.
Whether Toronto is truly ready to move him — and whether Edmonton can clear the necessary cap space — remains to be seen. But the Oilers are trying to get out ahead of Friday’s deadline. The Leafs are poised to make a move.
