NHL Insider reveals Leafs' revamped deadline plans

NHL Insider Chris Johnston added some fuel to the fire in regards to the approach that the Toronto Maple Leafs might take heading into the trade deadline. There's been a lot of talk about trading for a top-4 defenseman or adding depth to the defense in the form of a big, bruising blueliner, but he believes that the biggest impact move they will make is adding a forward - and as well it should be.

Now he did add at the end that "don't be surprised if we're talking about multiple trades by the time we get to 3:01 PM Eastern time in the city of Toronto on March 3rd". The Leafs are going to be busy, the trade deadline will finally be something to look forward to, and it seems like they will be looking to fill as many gaps as possible heading into a very important post-season.

There have been rumours aplenty of who the Maple Leafs have been linked to or are interested in. We've heard a lot about Jake McCabe and Vladislav Gavrikov on defense, but another report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggested that the Leafs don't want to pay the price for a defender considering how well their current D group has played all year. However, when it comes to forwards, the most intriguing name that has been linked to the Leafs has surely been Timo Meier.

Whether or not the Leafs can win out the bidding war for the Swiss goal scorer is one thing but there are plenty of fish in the sea otherwise. Solidifying the top-6 would be ideal and that's where Timo Meier comes into the picture but trading for depth might also work like gangbusters.


In terms of other forwards in play, there are plenty of names to look out for that include Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Bo Horvat, Anthony Duclair, Jack Roslovic, Kevin Hayes, Brock Boeser and Max Domi among others. Kyle Dubas has been busy over the last few weeks calling every team and general manager around about their available players. He has also scouted several teams in person. The Leafs are all business this year, so look out for some big moves.