3 Defenseman the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Try to Trade For

3 Defenseman the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Try to Trade For

No. 1: Chris Tanev

According to @JFreshHockey’s analysis this season, the Leafs number-one target right now should be Chris Tanev.

As shown by the Nikita Zadorov trade this week, it looks like the Calgary Flames are open for business, so there’s no reason to believe that Tanev won’t be the next defenseman traded.

Tanev is playing at an elite level this year, but with the Flames destined for a rebuild, they’ll likely look to move his expiring contact for an asset.

Zadarov surprisingly only got traded for a 5th Round and 3rd Round Draft pick, when you could argue that he’s more valuable than Tanev, because he is younger, bigger and has  a smaller cap-hit.

Tanev is no slouch, standing tall at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, but Zadorov is a beast at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and will destroy his opponent in the playoffs.

Tanev will still have that ability, but it would have been nice if the team was able to acquire Zadorov as well.

With GM Brad Treliving’s connection to Calgary, you’d think that it would be easy for him to acquire Tanev, but realistically he’s probably going to have to offer more to get him.

Based on their immediate need, I’d be fine with a B prospect and a draft pick for Tanev, so hopefully the team can find a way to get him to Toronto, which is also his hometown.