Simon Edvinsson would reportedly prefer a trade out of Detroit, and no team fits the timing better than the Maple Leafs.
The 23-year-old RFA is at home in Sweden without a contract. Detroit says it doesn't want to move him, but his camp's preference changes the conversation.
John Chayka has already said he's open to adding on defence. He also hasn't hidden that he's still working the phones after the Kirill Marchenko move.
The need is obvious. Chris Tanev is 36, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is 35, and Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Troy Stecher are all 32.
Doug MacLean put it bluntly this week: "They still don't have the Stanley Cup No. 1 defenceman." He didn't think Darren Raddysh was that player either.
Edvinsson is 23, 6-foot-6 and a left shot. He finished +12 in each of the last two seasons.
John Chayka has the motive and maybe the means to land Edvinsson
The money is the tricky part. David Pagnotta pegged a maximum seven-year deal for Edvinsson somewhere between $9 million and $11 million annually.
Toronto may have room. Max Domi and Dakota Joshua were placed on LTIR, a move reported to open up seven million dollars in space.
The Leafs also have a first-round pick they could dangle. Detroit would want much more than that, but it's a starting point.
Chayka should go all in. A blue line this old won't hold up over a season, and a 23-year-old who could anchor it for a decade almost never becomes available.
Landing Edvinsson would be like replacing an old furnace before the first cold snap. Expensive, but you'll be glad you did it in January.
The Leafs have dropped two of their first three games, and the back end keeps showing up as the problem.
Detroit won't sell cheap, and other teams are circling. If Chayka wants the defenceman Toronto has lacked for years, this is the call to make before someone else does.
Should John Chayka trade for Simon Edvinsson?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Winnipeg Jets informed crushing news on a Connor Hellebuyck trade
