Trade speculation heats up as Maple Leafs spotted scouting the game of a heated division rival

Over the last few weeks, trade rumours have picked up with several clubs signalling their intentions of becoming sellers. With the roster freeze only a few weeks away, it will be interesting to see if anything comes about before the holidays.

As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they're a team always looking to make in-season upgrades, and perhaps there's no more urgency than this year, with how things have unfolded.

As we are now well-past the 20-game threshold, scouts have been taking in games in recent weeks as team seek trades, and on Thursday, the Leafs had a scout spotted before the matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.

It's noteworthy considering the Blues are sitting 4th last in the league and are expected to sell ahead of the trade deadline. The rumour mill has been frequented by Blues players like Jordan Kyrou, Brayden Schenn, and even goaltender Jordan Binnington.

The Maple Leafs have had interest in Schenn in the past, just as recently as last year's trade deadline. He would be a perfect fit within the top-9 and his relationship with Craig Berube should be seen as a plus, however it will require a lot of moving pieces with 2 more seasons left on his deal at $6.5 million.

The Leafs could have also been present to scout players on their division rival Boston Bruins, though a deal within the division for an impact player seems unlikely with the Leafs sitting below the Bruins in the standings.