The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for a right-shooting defenseman with some edge. Unfortunately, so are many other teams.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in trade talks with the Calgary Flames regarding Nikita Zadorov, but the Leafs needed the Flames to retain 50% of Zadorov’s contract. After being unable to make a deal work, the Flames traded Zadorov to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have one lingering problem to deal with before general manager Brad Treliving can feel more comfortable making a trade for defensive help.
The Leafs need to know whether John Klingberg will be on LTIR for the remainder of the season. If there’s a chance he could return before the regular season finishes, then Treliving needs to make sure the cap space is available for his return.
However, if Klingberg will remain on LTIR all season, Treliving will have some cap space to improve the team.
According to Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet, the Leafs would prefer a right-shooting defenseman with some edge. However, he does mention that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Sean Walker is not high on their list.
The Leafs are reportedly okay with trading mid to late-round draft picks for a rental but are open to trading for a defenseman with some term beyond this season. The following defensemen are just a few of the possible options Treliving could be considering.