The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a top-four defenseman and a top-six forward
TSN: After the Quinn Hughes trade, to no surprise, the Calgary Flames got more calls on defenseman Rasmus Andersson, according to Pierre LeBrun.
“What is going to be interesting is how the Flames handle that potential trade. Do they move him as a traditional rental? He’s a pending UFA. Or do they involve the agent, Claude Lemieux, into a potential sign-and-trade to get more value in a trade?
One thing I should mention is that among the teams that have circled back on Rasmus Andersson is the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
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LeBrun added that the Leafs tried to acquire Andersson at the deadline last year and that he thinks the Leafs would be one of the teams that Andersson would consider signing an extension with.
Darren Dreger adds that the Leafs are interested in Andersson or any other top-four defenseman that might be available, but the asking prices have to come down.
The Leafs could also use a top-six winger to play with Auston Matthews. Dreger notes that the Leafs don’t have a lot of assets to work with.
TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs could be looking for two top-six forwards, according to Darren Dreger, but the Maple Leafs don’t have the big trade assets.
“We know that Treliving would like to add another top-six forward, maybe two top-six forwards, but based on what we saw between the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks, sure, logically, you can look at something like that and say ‘big deals like this can happen,’ but the Wild had the pieces to lure Quinn Hughes from Vancouver, and the Maple Leafs’ cupboard is not as stocked.
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“That type of player, the type of playmaking player that Matthews needs on that line, isn’t available. But as the season progresses, you can tell that the heat is going to elevate here.”
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