The Toronto Maple Leafs are sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division with 79 points following their overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.
So, what does a division-leading team such as the Toronto Maple Leafs need to add to their lineup for a long playoff run? For starters, a top pairing defenseman, and third-line center.
Th Leafs suffered a huge blow to their defense group when Chris Tanev sustained an upper-body injury in the Leafs 5-4 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins on February 25th. Tanev has been listed as being Day-to-Day but has been placed on injured reserve. There is no clear indication of how long he will be out of the lineup. Finding a suitable replacement might become the top priority for Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.
Before the injury to Tanev, the Leafs number one priority was finding a centerman who could play on the third line but also move up to the second line if needed. Since the Leafs returned from the NHL's two-week break for the Four Nations Face-Off tournament, they have remained undefeated in regulation, and a big reason for that has been the play from guys in the bottom six.
It will be interesting to see where the Leafs priorities are now, with a few days left before the trade deadline on Friday, March 7th. Acquiring a top four defenseman and a depth center would be the ideal outcome.
Treliving has never had a better opportunity to go all-in and try to make this Leafs team the best it has ever been in the salary cap era. Here is a look at a few players the Leafs should try to acquire.