Insider reveals that a Leafs player may have convinced Zadorov to ask for a trade to Toronto
Since Brad Treliving took over for Kyle Dubas as the GM of the Maple Leafs this summer, fans have been waiting for him to add some physicality and toughness to the blueline. John Klingberg isn't the most fierce competitor around and while Simon Benoit fits the bill, he's not an every night player for the Leafs.
Over recent weeks, with the struggles of the Calgary Flames, the Leafs have been linked to a pair of former signings of Treliving's in Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev. Both, Zadorov and Tanev are UFAs at the end of the season and if the Flames' struggles continue, they will surely be traded at some point. Following their loss in Toronto on Friday, it was revealed that Zadorov had asked for a trade and apparently said he would be open to playing in Toronto. The request shocked many, and plenty were surprised, I'm sure, that Zadorov mentioned Toronto by name as a possibility, but now we may know why.
On today's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman revealed that during the Flames/Leafs game, Zadorov had a very brief conversation with a Leaf who seemingly tried to convince him to come to Toronto.
Friedman elaborated, stating that he was unsure of who said it and touched on the fact that the Leafs have had conversations about acquiring both Zadorov and Tanev.
If he's only going to play 15 or 16 minutes a night, he would rather do it in another situation... Both Toronto and Vancouver had been mentioned with Tanev and Zadorov individually. I think Toronto would love to have both of them if they could. I dont know if it's with an extension or [not]."
Leaf fans may have gotten their hopes up thinking that Zadorov would be a Leaf by today, but according to Friedman, the Flames are going to trade him on their own timeline. They do not plan to let him dictate when and where he wants to go. That could work out for the Flames as they drive the price to acquire him up, but it could also backfire and drive the price down. All we know is that Treliving has had multiple conversations with Flames GM Craig Conroy about Zadorov and Tanev and at least for now, there is no imminent trade in the works.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 13 | 416 ANSWERS Insider reveals that a Leafs player may have convinced Zadorov to ask for a trade to Toronto Which Calgary Flame do you want to see the Leafs acquire most? | ||
| Noah Hanifin | 75 | 18 % |
| Nikita Zadorov | 270 | 64.9 % |
| Chris Tanev | 44 | 10.6 % |
| Someone else | 27 | 6.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
