Top Defenseman Suddenly Available; Could Be Perfect Fit For the Maple Leafs

While it's been talked about every day since the Maple Leafs were ousted from playoff contention, changes are coming in Toronto, but no one is quite certain what that means exactly when it pertains to the NHL roster.

For the time being, we've seen the dismissal of Brendan Shananan and that both Brad Treliving and Craig Berube are expected to remain in their current posts with the possibility of added responsibilities.

While Mitch Marner and John Tavares are the more popular names being brought up, the Leafs could look to shore up their back-end, and in doing so, they could be looking for a replacement for Morgan Rielly as his struggles continue.

That coincides perfectly with the Buffalo Sabres shopping Bowen Byram, as the former 4th overall pick has found himself in a bit of a log jam and could be on his way out, with the Sabres gauging his market, according to Elliotte Friedman.

Buffalo is a team desperate for change as they look to end a 14-year playoff drought. They already have Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson signed long-term, which leaves the pending RFA Byram on the outside looking in.

The Sabres should be in the market for veteran help with the team's average age coming in a just 25.76 years old this past season. While Byram has done well since his arrival from Colorado, the Sabres need more help and the Leafs could come in as a solid trade partner.

It would be hard to imagine Rielly waiving his NMC for Buffalo, so the Leafs would have to get creative especially with a lack of draft capital. Perhaps they could use the pieces acquired in a Rielly trade to help facilitate a Byram deal.

Acquiring Byram is a perfect start and since he's an RFA, it gives them a lot more leeway to negotiate a new contract while playing the field on other moves.