What would it take for the Leafs to land Zach Whitecloud? 👀 @TheFourthPeriod thinks Calgary could be looking for an A-level prospect, a high draft pick, or some combination of the two. “It's not a low price for Zach Whitecloud.”
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What could the Flames get from the Maple Leafs in a Zach Whitecloud trade?
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Oct 22, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 22, 2026, 02:24 EDT
It’s not a matter of if, but when the Calgary Flames will trade away roster players.
While they’ve played better their last three games, a 0-5-0 start to the season has made any chance for a season similar to 2024-25 next to impossible. That’s far from surprising, as the 2026-27 season is the first real season of this rebuild.
The rebuild is looking good, with the organization finding high-potential players in the latter rounds like Ethan Wyttenbach, but veterans on the main roster will continue to be moved. One of those veterans who is a candidate to be traded is Zach Whitecloud.
Appearing on The Leafs Morning Take, Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Flames are “looking for an A-level prospect, a high draft pick, or some combination of the two,” naming the Toronto Maple Leafs as a potential suitor.
It’s not the first time the Leafs have had reported interest in a right-shot defenceman on the Flames, as they were linked to Rasmus Andersson a couple of seasons ago. But the big question is, what do the Leafs even have to offer the Flames for Whitecloud?
What A- level prospect do the Leafs have?
It probably doesn’t need mentioning, but Gavin McKenna is clearly off the table here. The 2026 first overall pick is pretty much untouchable, even if the Maple Leafs were attempting to trade for a defenceman like Zach Werenski, another defenceman they’ve been linked to in the past.
Who else fits the bill as an “A-” level prospect. Well, 24-year-old netminder Artur Akhtyamov ranked as both Daily Faceoff and DFO Toronto’s second-best prospect heading into the season. With Dustin Wolf pegged as the goaltender of the future for the Flames, this isn’t a prospect that makes much sense for the Flames.
The Flames have a handful of young right-shot defencemen in the prospect pool, but it’s a highly coveted role, hence why Whitecloud may be able to net the Flames a haul. Ben Danford is probably the best Leaf prospect that makes sense for the Flames, as he’s projected to be a good bottom pair defenceman in the future.
Danford, 20, was selected 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in 2024 and has recently become a professional. Before even playing an American Hockey League regular season game, the right-shot defenceman helped the Toronto Marlies hoist the Calder Cup. Through five AHL games this season, he has two assists.
Other than sixth-overall pick in 2026, Carson Carels, the Flames don’t have a highly touted left-shot defenceman. Two Leaf prospects who fit the role are Alexander Bilecki and Ethan MacKenzie, selected 60th and 69th respectively in the most recent draft. Both defencemen are a ways away from contending for a roster spot, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a few more left-shot defencemen in the prospect pool
By far the Flames’ biggest need for the prospect pool is a centre. Most contenders have a true #1 centre, and no one in the Flames’ prospect pool currently projects to be that just yet. Cullen Potter, Cole Reschny, and Jack Hextall have potential, but they’re lacking a young centre like McKenna, Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, or Leo Carlsson.
Finding that centre will have to come through the draft, which is bad news for the Flames as the consensus top prospect in the 2027 NHL Draft is right-shot defenceman Landon DuPont. It’s lacking centres.
If the Flames wish to add a centre from the Leafs prospect pool, Tinus-Luc Koblar and Tyler Hopkins are the best centre prospects not named McKenna. Koblar is the better of the two, as Hopkins is projected to be a bottom six player. Acquiring either of these players would give the Flames just one more centre who could exceed expectations and become a superstar, but it’s unlikely to say the least.
The Leafs’ draft pick situation
The Leafs’ pick situation is confusing, to put it mildly. Their 2026 first-rounder had a 58.2 percent chance to be transferred to the Boston Bruins. Obviously, they ended up winning the lottery and selecting McKenna. Like the first in the Matthew Tkachuk trade, the conditions on the Maple Leafs’ next two first rounders is confusing, to say the least.
Basically, both their 2027 and 2028 first round picks are tied up thanks to the Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton trades. However, the Flames also sent Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche before the 2026 trade deadline, getting a top-10 protected first in return.
It’s easily their most valuable pick in the next two drafts. They also have all of their future second-round picks.
So what’s a reasonable trade for Whitecloud?
Whitecloud is your prototypical shutdown right-shot defenceman. He’s a Stanley Cup winner and has an affordable $2.75 million cap hit, potentially even lower if the Flames retain. To make his value even higher, he has term left, meaning two playoff runs.
With plenty of teams likely to be interested before Mar. 1st’s trade deadline and outrageous prices the past few deadlines, the Flames will get something of note. It may not be from the Maple Leafs, but if it is, here are a few trade ideas I cooked up on PuckPedia’s PuckGM.
A note: There’s a reason I don’t do mock trades in my articles often. For this, we’re using the guidelines in the original report, an “A- level prospect”, “high draft pick”, or “a combination of the two.”
Option 1
PuckPedia - PuckGMThe Flames get a first-round pick likely to be somewhere in the range of the 25-32 overall pick. They also add a left-shot defenceman who isn’t a guaranteed NHLer. This trade lies in the “some combination of the two” that Pagnotta mentioned.
Option 2
PuckPedia - PuckGMDanford is the closest thing to an “A-” prospect the Leafs have available in a trade. In a couple of years, he’s a candidate to fill Whitecloud’s role, with Zayne Parekh and Šimon Nemec ahead of him in the lineup. Thanks to retaining 50%, the Flames also receive a third. I’d categorize this in the “looking for an A- prospect” category
Option 3
PuckPedia - PuckGMThis option teeters towards the “high draft pick” territory. As noted, that first likely ends up in the 25-32 range, while the Leafs also add a second in 2028. Thanks to the Flames retaining some of Whitecloud’s cap hit, I’ve added Hopkins, someone who could hypothetically factor into the Flames’ bottom six in the future.
There’s likely to be a few months before the Flames even seriously discuss trading Whitecloud. Who knows how many suitors will have interest in the right-shot defenceman’s service, but it’s good to see the Flames holding steady with their price.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$90,440,132
$69,841,666
Projected Cap Space
$13,559,868
$43,658,334
Current Cap Space
$15,294,270
$43,658,334
Active Players
23/23
16/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
2
1