Leafs Podcaster Says Brad Treliving Could Target Deal with Western Conference Powerhouse

This past week, the Dallas Stars made headlines when they announced an extension for Matt Duchene.

The Stars had locked up Duchene to a 4-year deal before completing a trade to send Mason Marchment later to the Seattle Kraken for a couple of mid-round draft picks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were very high on Marchment and were gutted when they were unable to land his services, especially considering the low cost of acquisition on the power forward.

Dallas then signed restricted free agent Mavrik Bourque the following day with the alleviated cap space they got from Marchment's contract, however, they're not out of the woods quite yet.

For a team that wants to make big moves after yet another Western Conference Finals defeat, having $2.755 million in cap space heading into the summer isn't going to cut it. They've been rumoured to have gauged the trade market for Jason Robertson, and perhaps that's where the Toronto Maple Leafs can enter the conversation.

Hired last year to direct the Leafs' amateur scouting, Mark Leach is going to be an instrumental figure for the foreseeable future. Leach oversaw the scouting in Detroit during their best years before finding greener pastures in Dallas, where he played a key role in building their foundation.

After the Marchment trade, Leafs podcaster Steve Dangle made a great point that Leach has good insight on the Stars, and while they were unable to land the power forward, they could also turn back and look for other ways to exploit the Stars' cap issues.

Dallas isn't pushing for a trade quite yet, but they're definitely listening with Robertson needing a new contract next year. With so much money tied up to other core pieces, Robertson might become the odd man out, making way for another blockbuster trade.

Robertson would immediately solve Toronto's issues up front with Mitch Marner expected to walk via free agency. If Robertson truly is available, the Maple Leafs should be knocking down Dallas' door this summer in an attempt to land the scoring winger, who has scored 348 points in 320 games over his last 4 seasons.