Flames reportedly trying to rake the Maple Leafs' feet over the coals in trade talks for Chris Tanev

The Leafs watched the likes of Luke Schenn and Justin Holl walk via free agency this summer and when the Buds couldn't bring in the pieces they wanted via trade, they opted to sign John Klingberg, William Lagesson and Simon Benoit to 1-year deals instead. Ever since, Treliving has been working the phones in earnest to try to upgrade his blueline, but to no avail.

Last week, the Leafs seemed intent on swinging a deal with the Calgary Flames for both Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev, but when Zadorov was dealt to Vancouver, it threw a wrench in the Leafs' plans. The belief is that the Leafs still have interest in Tanev, but Calgary has no intentions of letting him go cheap. In fact, a recent report from the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch suggests that the price for the Leafs may actually be higher than it is for other teams.

With the Flames set on playing hard ball, it's no wonder we're beginning to hear about the Leafs turning their attention elsewhere. Since the Zadorov deal went down, the Leafs have since been connected to San Jose's Mario Ferraro and Philadelphia's Sean Walker and Rasmus Ristolainen. I'd imagine we'll continue to hear additional names the longer the Leafs go without having swung a deal to bolster their blueline.