Large Scouting Presence at Scotiabank Arena For Leafs' Final Home Game Before Trade Deadline

The Toronto Maple Leafs are unsurprisingly in the thick of things ahead of the trade deadline and with that comes a lot of attention from rival scouts.

Ahead of tonight's matchup at Scotiabank Arena against the San Jose Sharks, an unusually large crowd of scouts were seen represented with 3 coming from Detroit and others coming from Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, and Ottawa among many others.

The Maple Leafs have a few days to figure things out with the deadline set for the 7th of March. They've been linked to forwards like Mikko Rantanen, Scott Laughton, and Brayden Schenn, but are still reluctant to pull the trigger due to the asking prices.

However, the return of forward Calle Jarnkrok tonight could be big for the club considering their pressing need for a top-9 forward and some necessary offensive punch down the lineup. It could be likened to a trade deadline acquisition considering how late in the season we are with Jarnkrok having yet to play a game.

It might take a few games to get back to speed considering the lengthy absence and this being his season debut but the veteran has provided a scoring punch in the previous 2 seasons that will be helpful down the stretch.

Of note is the scout from the St. Louis Blues, considering the Maple Leafs' interest in Schenn. However, they could also be in attendance due to the Sharks.

The Sharks found themselves at the bottom of the league's standings yet again and possess a lot of players that could be flipped to contending clubs.

Nevertheless, with a crowd that large, there must be something cooking from either the Sharks or the Leafs and it will be interesting over the next few days which team in attendance the Leafs end up swinging a trade with, if any.