Maple Leafs Reportedly Linked to Islanders Over Big, Nasty Defenseman

The Toronto Maple Leafs may not have been first to strike, as two of their Atlantic Division rivals have already swung significant deals to improve their teams.

The Florida Panthers improved on the blueline and in goal, nabbing top pairing defenseman Seth Jones and goaltender Vitek Vanecek, while the Tampa Bay Lightning swung a trade with Seattle for forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, leaving the ball in the Leafs' court.

The Leafs confirmed on Thursday that they do indeed have at least one move coming on Friday after they placed veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves on waivers.

The Leafs have been linked to several notable forwards in Mikko Rantanen, Brayden Schenn and Scott Laughton, but according to a new report from NHL.com's Stefen Rosner suggests that Brad Treliving has also inquired about Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield.

The Leafs do have a fairly formidable top-4 with Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the fold. However, their bottom pairing could use some attention, and Mayfield would provide a significant improvement over some of the bottom options, such as Philippe Myers, Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins.

Naturally, the Leafs' primary focus will remain on acquiring an upgrade at the 3rd line center position or swinging big to land Mikko Rantanen, who could greatly aid them in their pursuit of their first Stanley Cup in the better part of six decades. However, if all else fails, or as a secondary measure, bolstering their blueline is certainly not a bad idea.

The Leafs would require significant salary retention on Mayfield, as he currently carries a $3.5M cap hit.