Rumour: Leafs in discussions with Panthers about a hard-nosed defender

This one can be taken with a grain of salt, as the usual trusted insiders have yet to report on it, but there are some rumblings online that the Leafs have engaged in trade discussions with a division rival in the Florida Panthers. According to the rumour, Radko Gudas is the name being discussed.

Gudas has spent the last 3 years with the Panthers after stops in Tampa, Philadelphia and Washington. He's never really run the count up on the scoresheet, but he is a nasty, physical defenseman who finishes every check and won't hesitate to drop the gloves. He's also a right-shot.

The Leafs have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries on the blueline this season, with Jake Muzzin, T.J. Brodie, Morgan Rielly, Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom all currently sidelined. The Buds may seem loaded on the blueline if/when all of those aforementioned players are cleared to return, but we have seen first-hand how quickly the injuries can begin to pile up. It might not be the worst thing in the world to have an extra body - especially one who may fit in nicely for a playoff run.

Gudas is in the final year of a 3-year, $7.5M deal, carrying a $2.5M cap hit. The tricky part in all of this is that the Panthers are not currently in a playoff spot. I'm sure they'd like to make a push to get back into the hunt, but with an ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, it might make more sense for the Panthers to deal some of their guys on expiring deals to recoup some assets rather than hanging onto them and risk losing them for nothing this summer. The Panthers could certainly use the draft capital after dealing away each of their next 3 first round picks. Perhaps if they can stockpile a few 2nd and 3rd round picks, it could help soften the blow on the draft floor or open up the possibility of packing some assets together to get back into the first round.