Maple Leafs have identified their 1 trade target, facing an urgent deadline to get a deal done
At the moment, most of the talk around Toronto is about whether Shohei Otani is going to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, aside from that, the next largest focus among Toronto sports fans has been the Leafs' clear need for a defenseman - and fast.
The Leafs are still without 3 of their top six defensemen, but with John Klingberg undergoing season-ending hip surgery later this month, it has freed up a pretty significant chunk of change with which the Leafs can go shopping for a defenseman. Klingberg's $4.15M should make it a lot easier to fit in whomever they're after, but according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, there's only one guy they want right now.
Per Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, the Leafs aren't expanding their search for a defenseman as far as some might suggest. Friedman believes that their number 1 target is and always has been Chris Tanev and that everyone else mentioned in connection to the Leafs is a secondary option if they're unable to acquire Tanev.
"The first thing I'd like to say about Toronto is, my prediction is this; as long as there's the opportunity to get [Chris] Tanev, I think he's their #1 choice. Treliving knows him, he signed him [in Calgary], he knows him better than anyone else who's out there and, at the end of the day, if you're going to place a bet, you're always going to give an edge to the person that you know.
Whatever the case is, as long as Tanev is out there... that's the guy. So, everyone else we're talking about with Toronto, I think they're behind him."
Whatever the case is, as long as Tanev is out there... that's the guy. So, everyone else we're talking about with Toronto, I think they're behind him."
Vancouver, Dallas and New Jersey are 3 other teams who Friedman believes are interested in Tanev, so it's not as though the Leafs won't have any competition in the Tanev sweepstakes. Another factor here is that with so much competition, we're likely to see a bit of a bidding war ensue - so if the Leafs do want Tanev, they may have to be willing to pay a little more than what they feel is a fair offer for the veteran right-shot blueliner.
As far as a potential timeline for a deal to get done, if the Leafs feel an urgent need to get a deal done, they'll have to hurry, as the NHL's holiday trade freeze comes into effect next week. The holiday trade freeze makes it so that teams and their families don't have to worry about being uprooted immediately before Christmas time. This year's trade freeze runs from December 20th through December 27th.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 748 ANSWERS Maple Leafs have identified their 1 trade target, facing an urgent deadline to get a deal done Will Chris Tanev be a Leaf before the Christmas trade freeze? | ||
| Yes | 277 | 37 % |
| No | 471 | 63 % |
| List of polls | ||
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