Johnny Gaudreau to the Leafs could be the biggest galaxy-brained suggestion of the season

With less than one month remaining until the NHL's trade deadline, we've reached that point in the season where everyone from the Hockey Insiders to casual hockey fans have begun to galaxy-brain their biggest trade deadline fantasies.

There have been many names floating around in trade rumours of late, including the likes of Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund, Mattias Ekholm, David Savard, Nick Foligno, Rickard Rakell, Troy Terry and Sam Bennett, most or all of which have been linked to the Leafs at one point or another, but there's another name out there that has come up in the past who has not been mentioned in Leafs rumours who The Athletic's Scott Burnside would like to see wind up in Toronto.

In a column that Burnside released on Monday, in which he listed the 6 major transactions he would like to see happen at the deadline, he listed Johnny Gaudreau to the Leafs at number two. How's that for a wild idea?

Johnny Hockey has just one year remaining on his current contract with the Flames before he is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Many, including Sportsnet's Eric Francis, believe that as soon as the Salem, NJ native's contract expires, the countdown will begin until Gaudreau signs with the Philadelphia Flyers - the team who he idolized growing up.

There are a number of stars that would have to align in order for a deal like this to ever occur, but as unlikely as it seems, Toronto does have the assets that would be required to complete such a deal. The cap space is another story. There would definitely have to be some creative negotiating taking place there to make the numbers jive.

First, Gaudreau and the Flames, who are 2-0 under new bench boss Darryl Sutter and sitting just 2 points back of the Montreal Canadiens for 4th in the North Division, would need to absolutely plummet in the standings over the next few weeks, so much so that it leaves GM Brad Treliving with no other option than to go into at least a partial rebuild mode.

Next, the Leafs will have to strike out on or abandon every other potential early deadline deal that they could be eyeing, which includes the aforementioned players near the top of this article - or any others that we can't otherwise see coming.

Third, the Flames would have to be willing to retain 50% of Gaudreau's current deal (which carries a cap hit of $6.75M this season and next) AND also take back a contract (presumably Alexander Kerfoot's, which carries a $3.5M cap hit for two more seasons).

Lastly, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas would have to at least partially mortgage the future for the Toronto Maple Leafs by sending a package that likely consists of a first round pick, one of Rasmus Sandin, Nick Robertson, Timothy Liljegren or Rodion Amirov, and likely another early round pick or a B prospect like Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Nick Abruzzese or Mac Hollowell along with Kerfoot just to get Treliving to pick up the phone.

This one is pretty far-fetched, but on the 1% chance that the Leafs would even consider a move like this, given all the moving pieces and the prohibitive cost, it would rocket them to the very top of the league in terms of best offensive team in the National Hockey League. Yes, better than Colorado, better than Tampa and better than Boston.

Imagine being an NHL coach and looking at the game sheet and seeing a top-six opposition that looks like this:

Hyman/Matthews/Marner

Gaudreau/Tavares/Nylander

It's absolute nightmare fuel. How a team would go about trying to shut that worldbeating top-six down every night during the postseason.. it would be a next-level challenge, that's for certain.

Unfortunately for Leafs fans, it just doesn't seem plausible - especially if it requires a package of Kerfoot, Robertson, a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. I just don't see Kyle Dubas sacrificing that much of the team's immediate future for a championship that they have a reasonably good chance to win anyway, while retaining those pieces. There are other options that could improve the team for a much lower cost. Still, pipe dreams are exciting to ponder.

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