Recent Reports Link the Toronto Maple Leafs to Top Defenseman Available on the UFA Market

While getting an extension done for Matthew Knies is going to be the top priority this summer in Toronto, the Maple Leafs have a lot of work to do to fill out the rest of their lineup.

They have been linked to Florida Panthers duo Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, but based on recent reports, it's looking likely that the former is going to be way out of Toronto's price range and the latter is finalizing a deal to stick around in Florida for the foreseeable future.

That does leave one free agent in particular that the Maple Leafs would love to get their hands on in defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

The Panthers' mid-season acquisition of Seth Jones made it quite clear that the former first overall pick could be on the outside looking in heading into July's free agent frenzy.

Those sentiments rang true earlier today when David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period surmised that the Panthers are nowhere close to his current AAV of $7.5 million, as they are hoping to get him in around the $6 million range on any extension. Ekblad will fetch a much higher salary on the open market.

With Ekblad potentially wanting to cash in on a bigger contract, Pagnotta and EJ Hradek both listed the Maple Leafs as one of the top suitors for the veteran defenseman, alongside Detroit and Edmonton, should he reach free agency on July 1st.

Ekblad would shore up the Leafs' back-end exponentially and give them a legitimate top-4 defensive corps that could go toe-to-toe with the best that the NHL has to offer. He needs to get to free agency first and that might be the trickiest part of this equation, considering his recent comments about wanting to remain a Panther.

Nevertheless, the Panthers are going to have to make some difficult decisions and Ekblad could become a casualty this summer. Toronto GM Brad Treliving will be all over the situation and the Leafs should figure in as a very likely destination spot for the Windsor native should he go to market.