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The Toronto Maple Leafs get back in action against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, but during their five-day break speculation has begun to pick up that the club ls looking for avenues to bolster their blueline.
Names such as Chris Tanev and Erik Gudbranson in Vancouver have been connected to Toronto and will likely be available when Canucks GM Jim Benning begins selling off assets in the coming weeks, but the Leafs may also be looking at other situations involving Western Conference clubs.
The Arizona Coyotes made their first significant pre-deadline move last week with the trade of forward Anthony Duclair to Chicago for Richard Panik, but that might just be the tip of the iceberg for GM John Chayka (an appropriate term for the Titanic-like disaster that the Coyotes are) before February 26th.
According to the Ottawa Sun’s
Bruce Garrioch , Chayka is exploring the possibility of moving both veterans Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Niklas Hjalmarsson with the price for blueliners prior to the deadline at a premium.
It is believed that the Leafs have interest in Ekman-Larsson (who will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019) but that Chayka’s current asking price is two players and a first round pick.
The 26-year-old All-Star has 20 points (7 goals and 13 assists) in 45 games, but leads the NHL with a -40 plus/minus rating.
Hjalmarsson, 30 (also under contract through next season), was acquired from Chicago in June to upgrade the Coyotes blueline and help them take a run at the postseason, but the club rests at the bottom of the Western Conference and the veteran blueliner has played only 19 games in Arizona because of two stints on the injured list.
It is unlikely that Toronto or any other team in the playoff race would disrupt their roster to the extent that would be necessary to meet the Coyotes asking price for Ekman-Larsson, as two players with years of control would likely include young players like Connor Brown ($2.1 Million AAV) and Kasperi Kapanen (on year two of his ELC), but if the price does come down before February 26, acquiring OEL could be the bold move that Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello has been looking for to upgrade the club’s blueline.
Hjalmarsson would come at a significantly lower price than Ekman-Larsson and may fill the Leafs needs for a top-four defenseman, but Garrioch reports that the two-time Stanley Cup winner has a limited no-trade clause and would prefer not to play for a Canadian team.
Another situation that Toronto could be interested in involves Sharks blueliner Paul Martin.
The
San Jose Mercury News reports that the 36-year-old defenseman was out since early October with an ankle injury, but has been a healthy scratch for the last three weeks, prompting rumors that Sharks GM Doug Wilson is looking to move the 13-year NHL veteran or even place him on waivers.
Martin has a year remaining on a four-year, $19.4 Million contract ($4.85 Million AAV) and could be of interest to Lamoriello, who drafted the Minnesota native in the second round in 2000.
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