Since moving on from Mitch Marner, the Maple Leafs have brought in a number of depth pieces to fill out the club’s forward corps, but they have yet to replace the offensive production and creativity lost with No. 16’s departure.
Toronto still has plenty of high-end offensive pieces on the roster, but given the club was linked to Andrew Mangiapane and Jack Roslovic earlier this summer, it seems Treliving and Co. may still be hunting for a more impactful addition.
Either Rust or Rakell could slot in as a top-six piece with a bit more scoring pedigree, pushing one of the other recent additions into a needed depth role.