After snagging Ilya Lyubushkin last Thursday from the Anaheim Ducks to add some needed depth and grit to the right side of their blueline, the Leafs are still on the hunt for additional help before the deadline. According to TSN's Chris Johnston, GM Brad Treliving is looking to add another right-shot D to the lineup. Johnston also revealed yesterday that Treliving is also looking to add another middle/bottom-six forward.
The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta has noted that the Leafs have placed calls to the St. Louis Blues about Colton Parayko and to the Minnesota Wild for Brandon Duhaime. The 6'6, 230 pound Parayko would certainly provide the size and physicality the Leafs need on their blueline and give them an option to play with Morgan Rielly. The 30-year-old is signed long-term, having 6 more years on his current deal that comes with a cap hit of $6.5M. Obviously the Leafs would need some retention and/or send out a large chunk of salary in order to accommodate Parayko's contract, which would increase the assets they would have to include in any deal for the former third-round pick.
Duhaime, on the other hand, is a fourth-round pick of the Wild from the 2016 draft, and at 26, is about to become a UFA for the first time in his career. At 6'2 and 200 pounds, and having the ability to play both wings, Duhaime would give Sheldon Keefe another physical, responsible forward to deploy. At a cap hit of just $1.1M, the cost to acquire him from Minnesota likely wouldn't cost much and the Leafs would easily be able to fit him under the cap.
With the Blues and Wild both currently out of a playoff spot, we could see the Leafs swoop in and nab one or both players by Friday's 3pm ET deadline. Until then, rumours will continue to swirl around what Treliving and the Leafs will do.
