Insider leaks some very big news about John Klingberg

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman told listeners on Monday, via his 32 Thoughts Podcast, that the Leafs were in on both Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev, but that the deal had fallen apart because of a difference of opinion on what salary retention should cost the Leafs in terms of a sweetener. He also confirmed that even though they missed out on Zadorov, they remain very firmly in the mix for Tanev.

That wasn't the only tidbit that Friedman revealed on Monday. He also touched on the John Klingberg situation, dropping some potentially huge news on the veteran defenseman that could provide us with a lot of clarity on what the Leafs will be able to afford to do in the trade market. Klingberg's $4.15M cap hit, as it turns out, may be coming off the books.

If Klingberg does indeed opt for surgery and if his timeline does keep him out for the remainder of the year, the Leafs could conceivably take on Tanev's full $4.5M cap hit without having to worry about retention on Calgary's end bumping up the cost.

Tanev does play with a bit of an edge and is a right shot D, and Friedman also believes that if the Leafs do acquire Tanev, they also have a reasonably good chance to re-sign him, as Tanev is a Toronto native.

Time will tell how this all unfolds, but as Friedman suggested on Monday, it's sounding like Klingberg is done for the year, which opens up some interesting possibilities.