Sportsnet: Frank Seravalli on the Kyper and Bourne show on the injuries to the Toronto Maple Leafs blue line and some possible trade candidates.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Justin Bourne: “We just had our first hour talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs and everyone on defense is hurt. And they weren’t graded defending before that.
So we’re trying to pinpoint some names. I know that there’s an article on DailyFaceoff, I think Matt Larkin wrote it about potential defensive partners or who might fit for the Leafs.
NHL Trade: Thoughts from the media on the Nikita Zadarov trade to the Canucks
Are there some names out there that you can see as a fit in a trade for Toronto?
Seravalli: “Yeah, I mean, I think it’s pretty easy to draw a line, Justin, from Toronto to Calgary. And I would suspect that the first name that Brad Treliving would be calling about would be Chris Tanev based on his defensive prowess. And you don’t have to really look much further than the clip in the last week with him blocking his shot with his face to realize that this is a guy that certainly has the commitment required to win in your own end.
That’s one guy that I would circle. I think, here’s the thing that the Leafs have run into in those conversations that they’ve had with the Flames and Brad Treliving’s former employer is, a) they’re not really ready to make a move yet with some of their pending free agents because their team has gotten back in the race. And b) I think the other reason why they’re not in a rush is because the trade deadline isn’t until March 8.
There’s no reason unless someone’s knocking your socks off, to go out and execute a trade at this exact moment in time, especially while your team is still hanging around and you don’t have a fully formed idea yet as to exactly what they are. Are the Flames under .500 at this quarter-juncture of the season? Yes, they are, but with the mushy middle in the West and the ability to climb into that wildcard race, I think it’s unfair to count them out just yet. And until they are out, I think they’re gonna to wait and hold off on making any judgments.
So, that’s one aspect of this that I think has been a roadblock in terms of the Leafs trying to find defensemen. And I think the other part is, you want to make sure that whoever you’re getting is making an impact. And there’s a lot of names that have been floating out there of late that you might say, hey, the Leafs could go out and get this guy. And the answer might be yes, but is he going to make a big enough impact to be worth the squeeze?
