Insider reveals that a Leafs trade could be imminent
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in rough shape on the blueline at the moment, with Jake Muzzin, T.J. Brodie and now Morgan Rielly sidelined due to injury. In Muzzin's case, his career may be in jeopardy. In Brodie's case, his oblique injury hasn't responded to rest the way the team had hoped. With Rielly, his knee injury will keep him out a minimum of 4-6 weeks and potentially longer.
All of this leads us to what is the most likely outcome in all of this - the Leafs are more likely than not to swing a deal and, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, it's not a matter of if the Leafs make a move, it's when.
"I do [expect the Leafs to make a move]. They're in a spot that you take a look at their top 6 defensemen at this point... I thought when Jake Muzzin went down, it necessitated a move and now with Morgan Rielly out for the next while, I think that certainly only heightened that need."
The Leafs are currently rolling with a top-6 of:
Mark Giordano/Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin/Timothy Liljegren
Jordie Benn/Mac Hollowell
They still have Victor Mete as well and he can step in if needed, but he and Hollowell are band-aids for a bullet wound here. The Leafs missing arguably their 3 best defensemen in a season that is as important as this one is not likely something that Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan will want to risk.
The Leafs have been linked to some pretty big names, such as Jakob Chychrun, John Klingberg and Matt Dumba, among others. It's really anyone's guess which direction they go in, but one thing's for sure - they need another top-4 option and they need it fast.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 23 | 414 ANSWERS Insider reveals that a Leafs trade could be imminent Will the Leafs pull off a trade for a defenseman before the end of the week? | ||
| Yes | 258 | 62.3 % |
| No | 156 | 37.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
