John Chayka wants blue line help now, and the Maple Leafs are dangling next year's Colorado first-round pick to get it.
David Pagnotta laid out the plan on NHL Media, and Toronto is pushing harder in its search than it has in weeks.
They're after a top-four defenseman with second-pair capabilities. According to Pagnotta, it doesn't matter whether he shoots left or right.
“Just somebody that can come in there and provide top-four minutes, that can be a second-pair type of guy,” Pagnotta said.
The hunt isn't new. Chayka called the blue line a priority, if not the priority, when he was introduced as GM in the spring.
Toronto made only one real change on the back end. The search goes back to September, before the Knies and Marchenko trade with Columbus.
Chris Tanev's injury hasn't helped, but Pagnotta says the problem runs deeper. “It's their overall defensive play, especially the six guys on the back end.”
Scouts from across the league pack tonight's Sharks and Leafs game
The numbers back him up. The Leafs have lost three straight, giving up four or more goals in each, and they sit last in the Atlantic.
Five of their nine games have featured four or more goals against.
Morgan Rielly is a -6, while Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are still looking for their first points.
The carrot is real. Toronto is willing to move young assets and the first-round pick it holds from Colorado next year.
Dangling that pick is the right move. Throwing Easton Cowan into the mix would be the wrong one, and the Leafs seem to know it.
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Tonight, the eyes are already on them. Eighteen teams have scouts or reps at the Sharks game, including Detroit with two.
The list reads LA, Calgary, Edmonton, Florida, St. Louis, Vegas, Colorado, the Rangers, Columbus, Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Washington, Tampa Bay, the Islanders, Montreal, Vancouver and Dallas.
It's like holding a yard sale and finding the neighbors on your lawn before you've set out the tables.
Scouts in the building don't guarantee a deal. Pagnotta noted big moves rarely happen in the first month of a season.
So can Toronto afford to wait? The Leafs visit Columbus tomorrow, the back half of a back-to-back with that same leaky blue line.
Chayka named defense his top priority in the spring. If October ends without a fix, he'll be asked why a search that started in the summer still hasn't landed anyone.
Should the Maple Leafs trade their Colorado first-round pick for a top-four defenseman now?
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