Insider Reveals Brad Treliving May Be Forced into Difficult Trade Decision With Limited Assets
Elliotte Friedman revealed that Leafs GM Brad Treliving may be forced into a difficult decision come the trade deadline due to the lack of offense from the blueline.
The Leafs got a total of zero -- yes, zero goals -- from their defensemen in the month of December, despite firing almost 100 shots on goal from the blueline. The lack of offense from the defense has led to many speculating that Brad Treliving may shift his focus ahead of the trade deadline to add more scoring punch to the back end.
Friedman was on the Fan590's 'The Fan Hockey Show' Friday and was asked about the potential for the Leafs to add an offensive-minded defenseman to the blueline.
"I think they might. To me it just comes down to what are the assets it's going to cost here," said Friedman. "I think they probably look at it a bit, but I don't know what kind of acquisition cost -- to me, they don't have a lot they can afford to deal yet. They're starting to grow their prospect base... The whole thing is, they probably have - with whatever assets they're willing to do, they probably have one shot at this. The last thing I checked, they considered their number one thing they had to do was fill their center spot... What do they consider the most and what are you willing to spend to do it and then after that what room do you have or what assets do you have to solve your other problem?"
It's no secret the Leafs have been scouring the market for centers, but if the Leafs don't get more production from the defense, Treliving may be forced to split the assets he is willing to part with and acquire two lower-caliber players instead of one high-caliber player like a Brock Nelson.
With two months until the NHL's trade deadline, the Leafs are hopeful that with a healthy lineup, they will eventually get some help offensively from more than just Morgan Rielly and will be able to target a big fish to help solidify their depth at center.
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