For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
Check back for updates through the day
The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to continue their winning ways as they travel down to Florida for back-to-back road games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday and Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
The focus however is not on Toronto’s game with the Atlantic Division leading Lightning, but the NHL trade deadline on Monday and whether the club will make any other additions before 3pm.
Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on Sunday to reinforce the club at center, dealing minor leaguers Rinat Valiev and Kerby Rychel along with a 2018 second round pick to Montreal for veteran center Tomas Plekanec and minor leaguer Kyle Baun.
Plekanec traveled to Toronto for medical evaluation and is expected to be in Tampa on time for Monday’s game.
Montreal retaining 50% of Plekanec's $6 Million salary as part of the trade gives the Leafs just over $3.4 Million in available cap space to make other deals and there continue to be indications that Lamoriello is looking to bolster the club’s blueline.
The chances of Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson going to Toronto or anywhere else appear to be slim on monday, but Ryan McDonagh, Jack Johnson, Mike Green and Niklas Hjalmarsson may all be dealt depending on how the dominoes fall.
Ideally, the Leafs would prefer to add a right-handed blueliner (and Green is the only of that group who are right handed), but that is assuming that Leafs coach Mike Babcock will play rookie Travis Dermott in the post-season.
Babcock last season leaned heavily on veterans Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak in the series against Washington and it is likely that if Lamoriello acquires a veteran on the blueline, that Polak or Dermott will sit.
The cost for any of these top-four options will be heavy, which many believe rules out rental options like Green and Johnson and leans towards those with term remaining on their contracts.
If Toronto does go the rental direction, it will likely be for depth and could include names like former Leafs first round pick Luke Schenn or Cody Franson (currently playing in the AHL).
Tweets by MikeInBuffalo *******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******