Leafs closing in on a trade?

There's been a lot of talk this season about what sort of changes are needed in Toronto for the Leafs to be considered actual contenders this year. Some have suggested that the goaltending is the biggest concern. Others believe it's the defense that needs an improvement. There's even a small cohort who believe that the Leafs need to add at the forward position. Whatever the case may be, it would appear as though the team is ramping up efforts to get a deal done.

The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported Scotiabank Arena last night that there were scouts and representatives from 8 different teams taking in the Leafs/Red Wings game in Toronto last night. Those teams were the Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators.

This weekend, it may have went under the radar, but Leafs GM Brad Treliving actually traveled to Buffalo to take in a Sabres/Canucks game in person. Typically when a GM attends a game and is spotted scouting in person, it means a deal is close. The strange part in all of this is that neither Buffalo nor Vancouver had scouts present in Toronto last night. Nevertheless, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman must have thought Treliving's presence in Buffalo was noteworthy, because he touched on it during Monday's edition of 32 Thoughts.

The Leafs have a loaded schedule this week, with 4 games on the docket. They'll take on the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday before traveling to Calgary for a meeting with the Flames on Thursday. After that, they've got a back-to-back against Vancouver and Seattle on the weekend.

It will be interesting to see whether Treliving pulls the trigger on a deal and has someone new joining the team during this 4-game road trip, or if this was just more prep for the trade deadline in just over 7 weeks time.