A few days ago, I wrote about how to avoid trade rumour hysteria in the midst of the Steven Stamkos shenanigans.

So let’s completely ruin all of that with some pure, unadulterated trade speculation.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are rebuilding, and therefore, selling. This much is obvious. In my aforementioned Stamkos post, I joked about P.A. Parenteau being traded for a second-round pick because pretty much every fan-made trade proposal ever seems to find a way to include a second-rounder. That got me thinking though. If the Leafs are selling — and they are — then who is likely to move? Where might they go? And what might the Leafs get in return?

Here are a few names I have been thinking about.

P.A. PARENTEAU

After a disastrous season with the Montreal Canadiens, the man I call “Parenteauvechkin” is having a nice little redemption tour in Toronto. Parenteau has eight goals in 28 games so far this season, which already matches his total from all of last year and puts him on pace for about 23 goals. In a league where we’re openly suggesting making the nets bigger, altering the goal posts, and forcing goalies to take off all their pads and wear blindfolds, what team doesn’t need a 20-plus goal-scorer?

Who needs him?
Half of Parenteau’s goals have come on the power-play and he is tied with James van Riemsdyk for the Leafs’ lead in that category. Who are some playoff-contending teams that could use some offence, particularly on the power-play?

Ironically, the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently 25th in goals-for and 26th in PP%. If they can find space under the cap, maybe Parenteau can help fill the Pascal Dupuis void in Pittsburgh.

Besides the Pens, many teams on the playoff bubble have ho-hum power-plays, including the Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings, to name a few.

What’s the cost?
Last season the Calgary Flames managed to grab a second- and third-round pick from the Washington Capitals for Curtis Glencross. There are similarities in production, but that still seems a bit pricey.

Another comparable from last season could be the Minnesota Wild‘s acquisition of Chris Stewart from the Buffalo Sabres. The cost there: A second round pick. I know it’s hacky to say, but it seems like a second-rounder is actually the going rate at the trade deadline for a winger with some offence.

BRAD BOYES

Once we got past the fact that Brad Boyes finally got to play for the Leafs after getting drafted by them a decade and a half ago, his season has actually been a bit of a struggle. Mike Babcock’s leash on Boyes seemed to tighten after the first half-dozen games or so, his ice time dropped, and he even became a healthy scratch at times. Despite all that — and despite the fact that Boyes will turn 34 right around playoff time — he’s usually reliable for at least 30 points per season. He’s one moderately-hot streak away from returning to that pace. Will he bounce back this season?

Who needs him?
Pretty much the same teams that need Parenteau, but don’t want to pay as much. In the case of the Penguins, who could also use another defender in their tight cap situation, Boyes might actually be a better, more affordable option considering his $700k cap hit.

What’s the cost?
This one is tougher. Usually you would expect a team looking to trade for a depth forward to go after someone a little grittier and more along the third/fourth-liner stereotype. Two years ago, the Penguins acquired Marcel Goc from the Florida Panthers for third- and fifth-round picks. That same year, Pittsburgh acquired Lee Stempniak from Calgary for another third. I’m not confident the Leafs can get that high of a pick for Boyes, but his cap hit is barely above the league-minimum.

Maybe something like a fifth-rounder is possible, which is what Buffalo received from Montreal for Brian Flynn last season. One more comparable to entertain: Last year Anaheim acquired Tomas Fleischmann from Florida for a third-rounder and a fledgling Dany Heatley. I wonder if that’s closer to what we see with Boyes, along the lines of “Sure you can have the pick but only if you take this other guy off our hands.”

MICHAEL GRABNER

On Leafs media day, general manager Lou Lamoriello traded five Leafs prospects — some of whom had just had their pictures taken in a Leafs jersey — to the New York Islanders for Michael Grabner. The Leafs got to free up four roster spots and the Islanders got to rid themselves of Grabner’s $3 million salary. The offence has been a struggle but with some decent hustle, speed, and defensive play, Grabner has seen his ice time with the Leafs creep upward a bit in recent games.

Who needs him?
Grabner scored 34 goals once. No really, go look it up. He’s not that player anymore, though. What he is, however, is an extremely fast skater whom Mike Babcock has trusted enough to make him the Leafs’ top forward for shorthanded ice time.

So who needs help on the PK? The Nashville Predators currently sit third in the mercilessly difficult Central Division. They also have the third-worst PK in the league at just 75.3 per cent. Perhaps more importantly, they have over $10 million in cap space right now. They can afford a cap hit like Grabner’s, especially if they wait until the trade deadline.

What’s the cost?
I used Brian Flynn as a comparable for Boyes, but maybe Grabner makes more sense. Flynn, like Grabner, is a penalty-killing depth forward. Once again, Flynn fetched a fifth-rounder.

One trade that comes to mind is the Sean Bergenheim deal from last year’s trade deadline. The Wild got Bergenheim and a seventh-round pick from the Panthers for a third. I keep thinking a third-rounder is too much for a guy like Boyes or Grabner and yet it seems like every trade deadline, teams go out and do it anyway. Maybe it will be the same this season.

Let’s stop at those three Leafs players for now. I feel like I have accomplished enough rumour-mongering for the day. Besides, if I stop now, then I can write about other Leafs who could be traded on another day. Spoiler alert: I’m saying Tyler Bozak for a first-rounder. Fight me.