TSN: Dave Poulin, Jeff O’Neill and Darren Dreger on what defensive options are out there that might interest the Toronto Maple Leafs.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
James Duthie: “Defenseman. So Klingberg is gone long-term, potentially the entire season. There’s been endless talk, first, an update on him and any fresh names in the discussion of trade talk of who they might like to acquire.”
Dreger: “Well, and these are names that we have established not connecting Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs to these players, but we know that they’re looking for a right-shot defenseman.
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So, the names that I’ve identified would be of course, Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames. You’ve got Ilya Lyubushkin, formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs, down in Anaheim. Sean Walker, who’s under-the-radar, right? He’s a five foot 11 right-shot defenseman playing the Philadelphia Flyers. And then you’ve got Andrew Walker, or Andrew Peeke, who is with the Columbus Blue Jackets. His name has been out there for a long, long while. So there are options and I’m sure Treliving is considering at this point.
As for Klingberg, James, you know, he’s on LTI, so it’s 10 games, 24 days. He’s got to make that decision as a player. He’s receiving treatment, it’s a hip related problem. How’s it going to feel as you go through this process? Is surgery an option? If surgery is an option, then he’s done.”
O’Neill: “I think Chris Tanev fits the bill. I believe he’s a Toronto guy. He’s a right-handed shot. He can play with Morgan Rielly in that top pairing. And I’ll say it again Morgan Rielly has never had that kind of solid, right-handed shot that can handle the minutes and just shovel the puck off to him and let him do his thing and cover him in the defensive zone. I think Tanev would be the perfect guy in this market.”
Poulin: “I’m a big Tanev guy too. I like the fact that he’s quiet as well. Like there’s not a lot of noise coming out of there and the big quiet one. But Ilya Lyubushkin, I like a guy who has been here before. He came and I never really sort of understand why he went as easily as he did. He signed in Buffalo for two years. He was only 27 years old at the time, just turned 29. And he seemed to fit in really well here. He was physical, he was a pain to play against. He partnered with Morgan Reilly for a while. I thought was quite comfortable with it.”
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Duthie: “That’s a fascinating possibility. You’re giving me the Dregs Inside smile.”
Dreger: “You know it’s complicated, right? It’s the cap. It’s dollar in, it’s dollar out. But we know Toronto needs a right-shot D man and he had success in Toronto.”