It's no secret that the Maple Leafs have been on the hunt for a significant upgrade on their blueline since before the season even began. Still, past the midway point of the 2023-24 campaign, GM Brad Treliving has yet to address this glaring need, but he has insisted all year long that he's working on it.
Well, it would appear as though Treliving is not limiting his options to just the deadline sellers around the league. Treliving reportedly sent scouts to Los Angeles last night to take in the Kings/Rangers game.
The Kings currently have 7 defensemen listed on their NHL roster and may yet seek an upgrade on the blueline to bolster their group prior to the trade deadline. They also have budding young star Brandt Clarke up with the big club, so perhaps they'd be interested in moving one of their veteran defensemen to open up a spot for Clarke to assume a larger role with the team. Another young defender in Jordan Spence may also be in line for a larger workload with the team, which could make someone like Matt Roy expendable. Roy has just this season remaining on his current deal and will be a free agent come July 1st. He carries a $3.15M cap hit.
The Rangers currently have 8 NHL defensemen on the roster and while it's good to have depth, the Rangers, too, may opt to upgrade on the blueline prior to the trade deadline in 6 weeks time, which could make a current member of the team expendable. The two defensemen most likely to move from their current group are pending UFAs Ryan Lindgren and Erik Gustafsson. It's worth noting that Gustafsson was acquired by the Leafs ahead of last season's trade deadline.
Obviously, the Leafs are looking at a number of teams right now and it's important that they get the right piece, so limiting themselves to just the non-playoff teams and deadline sellers wouldn't be smart. It's nice to see the organization keeping all of their options open and seeking out a suitable solution regardless of where it comes from.
